Control method for ultrasonic diagnostic device and ultrasonic diagnostic device

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic device and a control method of an ultrasonic diagnostic device capable of reducing a burden on a user in assisting defecation.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic diagnostic device includes: an ultrasonic probe (1); a probe position detection unit for detecting the position of the ultrasonic probe (1); an image acquisition unit (31) for acquiring an ultrasonic image of a subject using the ultrasonic probe (1); a colon detection unit (24) for detecting the colon of the subject from the ultrasonic image; a feces detection unit (25) for detecting feces present in the colon from the ultrasonic image; a feces property determination unit (26) for determining the property of the feces detected by the feces detection unit (25); and a defecation predicting unit (27) for predicting a defecation timing and feces property at the time of defecation on the basis of the position of the ultrasonic probe (1) when feces is detected, a result of the detection of feces, and the determined property of feces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used to examine the large intestine of a subject, and to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In medical and nursing care settings, nurses and caregivers often make regular rounds to check whether a subject who requires assistance with defecation has defecate. In order to reduce the burden on nurses and caregivers who provide such assistance with defecation, technologies for predicting when a subject will defecate have been developed, such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose a method for predicting when a subject will defecate based on sounds inside the subject and ultrasound images showing cross sections inside the subject captured using a so-called ultrasound diagnostic device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-186347 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-083999 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-084000 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, because the timing of defecation is usually affected by the properties of stool in the large intestine, and the properties of stool change depending on the position in the large intestine, such as the ascending colon, descending colon, and rectum, and the passage of time, it is sometimes not possible to accurately predict the timing of defecation in a subject using the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3. Furthermore, although the method of assisting defecation generally differs depending on the properties of stool at the time of defecation, even if the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3 are used to evaluate the properties of stool at the time of observation in the large intestine of a subject, such as normal stool or hard stool, the state of the stool changes in various states before defecation actually occurs, making it difficult for a defecation assistant to make appropriate preparations in advance, for example.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a method for controlling an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can reduce the burden on a user when assisting with bowel movements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object can be achieved by the following configuration. [1] An ultrasonic probe; a probe position detection unit that detects the position of an ultrasonic probe; an image acquisition unit that acquires an ultrasound image of a subject using an ultrasound probe; a large intestine detection unit that detects the large intestine of the subject from the ultrasound image; a stool detection unit that detects stool present in the large intestine detected by the large intestine detection unit from the ultrasound image; a stool property determination unit that determines the property of the stool detected by the stool detection unit; a defecation prediction unit that predicts the time of defecation and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe detected by the probe position detection unit when the stool is detected by the stool detection unit, the detection result of the stool by the stool detection unit, and the properties of the stool determined by the stool property determination unit; An ultrasound diagnostic device comprising: [2] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to [1], wherein the defecation prediction unit predicts the timing of defecation and the nature of the stool during defecation by using a trained model that has been trained based on the position of the stool in the large intestine of a large number of subjects, the timing of defecation, and the nature of the stool. [3] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to [2], wherein the trained model predicts the timing of defecation and the characteristics of stool during defecation by taking into account secondary parameters that affect the movement of the large intestine. [4] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to [3], wherein the secondary parameter that influences the movement of the large intestine is at least one of the subject's age, sex, average sleep time, and normal body temperature. [5] Monitor and a large intestine display unit that displays the position of the large intestine detected by the large intestine detection unit on a monitor by superimposing the position on a model image of the abdomen; a scanned area display unit that displays on a monitor an area of ​​the large intestine that has been scanned by the ultrasound probe based on the position of the ultrasound probe detected by the probe position detection unit; The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to any one of [1] to [4], comprising: [6] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to [5], wherein the large intestine display unit displays on the monitor the position of the stool detected by the stool detection unit along with the position of the large intestine. [7] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to [6], wherein the large intestine display unit displays the stool properties determined by the stool property determination unit on the monitor. [8] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of [5] to [7], wherein the large intestine display unit and the scanned area display unit display the position of the large intestine and the scanned area as two-dimensional images on the monitor. [9] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of [5] to [7], wherein the large intestine display unit and the scanned area display unit display the position of the large intestine and the scanned area as a three-dimensional image on the monitor.

[10] An input device that accepts user input operations; an image memory that stores the ultrasound image acquired by the image acquisition unit in association with the position of the ultrasound probe detected by the probe position detection unit; Equipped with An ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of [5] to [9], wherein when a region determined to be a scanned region displayed on the monitor is specified by a user via an input device, an ultrasound image acquired in the specified region is read from the image memory and displayed on the monitor.

[11] The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the probe position detection unit has a position sensor that detects the position of the ultrasonic probe.

[12] The probe position detection unit an optical camera for acquiring an optical image of the subject; an optical image analysis unit that detects the position of the ultrasound probe by analyzing the optical image acquired by the optical camera; The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to any one of [1] to

[10] , comprising:

[13] The probe position detection unit a distance measuring device that transmits a detection signal to the object and receives a reflected signal from the object; a probe position identifying unit that identifies the position of the ultrasonic probe by analyzing the reflected signal received by the distance measuring device; The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to any one of [1] to

[10] , comprising:

[14] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of [5] to

[10] , wherein the monitor is configured by a head-mounted display.

[15] Detecting the position of the ultrasonic probe; Acquiring an ultrasound image of the subject using an ultrasound probe; Detecting the subject's large intestine from the ultrasound image; Detecting feces present in the detected large intestine, Determine the characteristics of the detected stool, Predicts the timing of defecation and the nature of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe detected when the stool was detected, the detection results of the stool, and the determined nature of the stool A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, an ultrasound diagnostic device comprises an ultrasound probe, a probe position detection unit that detects the position of the ultrasound probe, an image acquisition unit that acquires ultrasound images of a subject using the ultrasound probe, a large intestine detection unit that detects the large intestine of the subject from the ultrasound image, a stool detection unit that detects stool present in the large intestine detected by the large intestine detection unit from the ultrasound image, a stool property determination unit that determines the property of the stool detected by the stool detection unit, and a defecation prediction unit that predicts the time of defecation and the property of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe detected by the probe position detection unit when stool is detected by the stool detection unit, the detection result of the stool by the stool detection unit, and the property of the stool determined by the stool property determination unit, thereby reducing the burden on a user in assisting with defecation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a transmission / reception circuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image generating unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an ultrasound image of the large intestine of a subject. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of displaying the position of the large intestine in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a scanned area in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of defecation timing in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11]FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a distance measuring device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description of the components will be given based on a representative embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. In this specification, a numerical range expressed using "to" means a range that includes the numerical values ​​before and after "to" as the lower and upper limits. In this specification, the terms "same" and "identical" include a margin of error generally accepted in the technical field.

[0010] Embodiment 1 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe 1, an apparatus main body 2 connected to the ultrasonic probe 1, and a position sensor 3 attached to the ultrasonic probe 1.

[0011] In the present invention, an ultrasound diagnostic device is used to examine the large intestine of a subject. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, an ultrasound image of the large intestine refers to an ultrasound image of a short-axis view of the large intestine. A short-axis view of the large intestine refers to an image representing a cross-section of the large intestine that is approximately perpendicular to the running direction of the large intestine.

[0012] The ultrasonic probe 1 has a transducer array 11. A transmitting / receiving circuit 12 is connected to the transducer array 11.

[0013] The device main body 2 has an image generation unit 21 connected to the transmission / reception circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1. A display control unit 22 and a monitor 23 are connected to the image generation unit 21, in that order. A large intestine detection unit 24, a stool detection unit 25, and a stool character determination unit 26 are connected to the image generation unit 21. The large intestine detection unit 24 is connected to the stool detection unit 25, and the stool detection unit 25 is connected to the stool character determination unit 26. A defecation prediction unit 27 is connected to the position sensor 3, the stool detection unit 25, and the stool character determination unit 26. The defecation prediction unit 27 is connected to the display control unit 22. A main body control unit 28 is connected to the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the large intestine detection unit 24, the stool detection unit 25, the stool character determination unit 26, and the defecation prediction unit 27. An input device 29 is connected to the main body control unit 28.

[0014] The transmitting / receiving circuit 12 and the image generating unit 21 constitute an image acquiring unit 31. The image generating unit 21, the display control unit 22, the large intestine detecting unit 24, the stool detecting unit 25, the stool property determining unit 26, the defecation predicting unit 27, and the main body control unit 28 constitute a processor 32 for the device main body 2.

[0015] The transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. These ultrasonic transducers transmit ultrasonic waves in accordance with drive signals supplied from the transmission / reception circuit 12, receive ultrasonic echoes from the subject, and output signals based on the ultrasonic echoes. Each ultrasonic transducer is configured by forming electrodes on both ends of a piezoelectric element made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic typified by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element typified by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), or a piezoelectric single crystal typified by PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate).

[0016] The transmission / reception circuit 12, under the control of the main body control unit 28, transmits ultrasonic waves from the transducer array 11 and generates sound ray signals based on reception signals acquired by the transducer array 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the transmission / reception circuit 12 has a pulser 41 connected to the transducer array 11, and an amplifier 42, an AD (Analog to Digital) converter 43, and a beamformer 44, which are connected in series from the transducer array 11 in this order.

[0017] The pulser 41 includes, for example, a plurality of pulse generators, and adjusts the delay amount of each drive signal to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers of the transducer array 11 based on a transmission delay pattern selected in response to a control signal from the main body control unit 28, so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers form an ultrasonic beam. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the ultrasonic transducers of the transducer array 11, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts, and pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves are generated from each ultrasonic transducer, and an ultrasonic beam is formed from a composite wave of these ultrasonic waves.

[0018] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected by an object such as a part of the subject, and propagates toward the transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1. The ultrasonic echo propagating toward the transducer array 11 in this manner is received by each ultrasonic transducer constituting the transducer array 11. At this time, each ultrasonic transducer constituting the transducer array 11 expands and contracts upon receiving the propagating ultrasonic echo, generating received signals which are electrical signals, and outputs these received signals to the amplifier 42.

[0019] The amplifier 42 amplifies the signals input from each ultrasonic transducer constituting the transducer array 11 and transmits the amplified signals to the AD converter 43. The AD converter 43 converts the signals transmitted from the amplifier 42 into digital reception data. The beamformer 44 performs so-called reception focusing processing by delaying and adding each piece of reception data received from the AD converter 43. This reception focusing processing causes the reception data converted by the AD converter 43 to be phased and added, and a sound ray signal in which the focus of the ultrasonic echo is narrowed is acquired.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the image generating unit 21 has a configuration in which a signal processing unit 45, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 46, and an image processing unit 47 are connected in series.

[0021] The signal processing unit 45 corrects the sound ray signals received from the transmission / reception circuit 12 for attenuation due to distance in accordance with the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position using the sound velocity value set by the main body control unit 28, and then performs envelope detection processing to generate a B-mode image signal, which is tomographic image information regarding the tissue within the subject.

[0022] The DSC 46 converts (raster converts) the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 45 into an image signal that conforms to the scanning method of a normal television signal. The image processing unit 47 performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing on the B-mode image signal input from the DSC 46, and then sends the B-mode image signal to the display control unit 22, the large intestine detection unit 24, the stool detection unit 25, and the stool condition determination unit 26. Hereinafter, the B-mode image signal that has been subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 47 will be referred to as an ultrasound image.

[0023] The display control unit 22, under the control of the main body control unit 28, performs predetermined processing on the ultrasound image etc. generated by the image generation unit 21 and displays it on the monitor 23. The monitor 23 performs various displays under the control of the display control unit 22. The monitor 23 may include a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0024] The main body control unit 28 controls each part of the device main body 2 and the ultrasonic probe 1 according to a pre-recorded program or the like. The input device 29 accepts input operations by the user and sends the input information to the main body control unit 28. The input device 29 is configured by devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, and a touch panel that allow the user to perform input operations.

[0025] The position sensor 3 attached to the ultrasonic probe 1 is a sensor that detects the position of the ultrasonic probe 1. For example, the position sensor 3 can use a fixed position as a reference and detect relative coordinates from the reference position as the position of the ultrasonic probe 1. As the position sensor 3, for example, a so-called magnetic sensor, acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, geomagnetic sensor, or the like can be used.

[0026] The large intestine detection unit 24 detects the large intestine of the subject appearing in the ultrasound image by analyzing the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 21. The large intestine detection unit 24 stores, for example, a plurality of templates representing the large intestine, and can detect the large intestine by searching the ultrasound image using a so-called template matching method that uses these plurality of template images. The large intestine detection unit 24 also has, for example, a machine learning model that has trained on a large number of ultrasound images showing the large intestine, and can also detect the large intestine appearing in the ultrasound image using this machine learning model.

[0027] The stool detection unit 25 detects stool present in the large intestine by analyzing the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 21 based on the detection result of the large intestine by the large intestine detection unit 24. The stool detection unit 25, for example, stores a plurality of template images for stool, and can detect stool present in the large intestine by searching the area of ​​the large intestine detected by the large intestine detection unit 24 in the ultrasound image using a template matching method using these plurality of template images. In addition, the stool detection unit 25 can also detect stool present in the large intestine by having a machine learning model that has trained on a large number of ultrasound images showing the rectum of the subject, for example, and using this machine learning model to search the area of ​​the large intestine detected by the large intestine detection unit 24 in the ultrasound image.

[0028] The stool property determining unit 26 analyzes the ultrasound image generated by the image generating unit 21 based on the stool detection result by the stool detecting unit 25, thereby determining the property of the stool.

[0029] Generally, it is known that in the case of hard stool, ultrasound has difficulty passing through the stool and most of the ultrasound is reflected from the shallow part of the stool, resulting in a crescent-shaped high-brightness region in the ultrasound image U; in the case of normal stool, ultrasound passes through more easily than in hard stool, resulting in a half-moon-shaped high-brightness region in the ultrasound image U; and in the case of soft stool, ultrasound passes through more easily than in hard stool, resulting in a circumferential low-brightness region in the ultrasound image U. Thus, the appearance of stool in an ultrasound image differs depending on the stool's properties. The stool property determination unit 26 can acquire the stool properties, for example, by using a template matching method. The stool property determination unit 26 can also acquire the stool properties by, for example, using a machine learning model that has learned information about a large number of ultrasound images of stool and the properties of those stools.

[0030] The stool condition determination unit 26 can also determine the characteristics of the stool according to the so-called Bristol Scale. The Bristol Scale classifies stool characteristics into seven states: "small stool" which is hard, round, rabbit dropping-like stool; "hard stool" which is sausage-shaped but hard stool; "slightly hard stool" which is sausage-shaped stool with cracks on the surface; "normal stool" which is smooth and soft sausage-shaped or snake-like coiled stool; "slightly soft stool" which is soft, semi-solid stool with clear wrinkles; "muddy stool" which is irregularly shaped small pieces or muddy stool with loose boundaries; and "watery stool" which is watery, liquid stool without solid matter.

[0031] The defecation prediction unit 27 predicts the time of defecation of the subject and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the position sensor 3 when the stool is detected by the stool detection unit 25, the detection result of the stool by the stool detection unit 25, and the properties of the stool determined by the stool property determination unit 26.

[0032] The defecation prediction unit 27 can estimate the position of stool in the large intestine of a subject by using, for example, a machine learning model that has learned the detection results of stool present in the large intestine of a large number of subjects and the position of the ultrasound probe 1 when the stool was detected. The defecation prediction unit 27 can further accurately predict the defecation time and stool properties of a subject by using a trained model in machine learning that has been trained from the position, defecation time, and stool properties of a large number of subjects in the large intestine.

[0033] The defecation prediction unit 27 can output, for example, the time required from the present until defecation occurs as the defecation time. In addition, the defecation prediction unit 27 can acquire, for example, the current time, and output, as the defecation time, the time when defecation will occur based on the acquired current time and the time required from the present until defecation occurs.

[0034] At this time, the defecation prediction unit 27 can obtain the current time from, for example, a built-in clock called a system clock or a hardware clock. In addition, if the ultrasound diagnostic device can be connected to a network (not shown) such as the Internet, the defecation prediction unit 27 can also obtain the current time from a so-called NTP (Network Time Protocol) server via the network.

[0035] Furthermore, when the defecation prediction unit 27 predicts the defecation timing and stool properties at the time of defecation using the trained model, the trained model calculates intermediate numerical data as an index relating to the movement state of the large intestine based on multiple frames of ultrasound images, and can predict the defecation timing and stool properties at the time of defecation based on the calculated numerical data. By taking the movement of the large intestine into account, the trained model can improve the prediction accuracy of the defecation timing and stool properties at the time of defecation.

[0036] The trained model of the defecation prediction unit 27 can predict the timing of defecation and the stool properties at the time of defecation by taking into account at least one of secondary parameters that affect the movement of the large intestine, such as the subject's age, sex, average sleep time, and normal body temperature, etc. By taking into account the secondary parameters, the trained model can improve the accuracy of predicting the timing of defecation and the stool properties at the time of defecation.

[0037] The defecation prediction unit 27 transmits the thus predicted defecation time and stool properties of the subject to the display control unit 22, which displays them on the monitor 23. In addition, if the device main body 2 is equipped with a speaker (not shown), the defecation prediction unit 27 can also notify the subject of the defecation time and stool properties by sound via the speaker.

[0038] In medical and nursing care settings, nurses and caregivers often make regular rounds of subjects who require assistance with defecation to check whether they have defecate. Such regular rounds and other tasks are a burden for the user providing the defecation assistance. Furthermore, the method of assisting defecation usually varies depending on the nature of the stool, but the nature of the stool at the time of defecation cannot usually be determined until the subject actually defecates, making it difficult to make appropriate preparations for defecation.

[0039] In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the user can easily understand the time and nature of the subject's defecation by checking the display on the monitor 23, and can make appropriate preparations in advance for the subject's defecation, for example. This reduces the burden on the user in assisting with defecation.

[0040] The processor 32 having the image generation unit 21, display control unit 22, large intestine detection unit 24, stool detection unit 25, stool property determination unit 26, defecation prediction unit 27 and main body control unit 28 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various processes, but may also be composed using an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or other ICs (Integrated Circuits), or a combination of these.

[0041] In addition, the image generation unit 21, display control unit 22, large intestine detection unit 24, stool detection unit 25, stool property determination unit 26, defecation prediction unit 27 and main body control unit 28 of the processor 32 can be partially or entirely integrated into a single CPU or the like.

[0042] Next, an example of the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0043] First, in step S1, the position sensor 3 detects the position of the ultrasonic probe 1. The detected position of the ultrasonic probe 1 is transmitted to the defecation prediction unit 27.

[0044] Next, in step S2, an ultrasound image is acquired by the image acquisition unit 31. At this time, the transducer array 11 of the ultrasound probe 1 transmits an ultrasound beam into the subject and receives an ultrasound echo from the subject, generating a received signal. The transmission / reception circuit 12 of the image acquisition unit 31 performs so-called reception focus processing on the received signal under the control of the main body control unit 28 to generate a sound ray signal. The sound ray signal generated by the transmission / reception circuit 12 is sent to the image generation unit 21. The image generation unit 21 generates an ultrasound image using the sound ray signal sent from the transmission / reception circuit 12.

[0045] In step S3, the large intestine detection unit 24 detects the large intestine of the subject appearing in the ultrasound image by analyzing the ultrasound image acquired in step S2. In this case, the large intestine detection unit 24 can detect the large intestine by, for example, a template matching method or a method using a machine learning model.

[0046] In step S4, the stool detection unit 25 detects stool present in the large intestine detected in step S3 by analyzing the ultrasound image acquired in step S2 based on the detection result of the large intestine in step S3. The stool detection unit 25 can detect stool by, for example, a template matching method or a method using a machine learning model.

[0047] In step S5, the stool condition determination unit 26 determines the condition of the stool by analyzing the ultrasound image generated in step S1 based on the stool detection result in step S4. The stool condition determination unit 26 can acquire the condition of the stool, for example, by using a template matching method or a machine learning model that has learned information about a large number of ultrasound images showing stool and the characteristics of the stool. At this time, the stool condition determination unit 26 can output, for example, the condition of the stool on the Bristol scale as the determination result of the stool condition.

[0048] Finally, in step S6, the defecation prediction unit 27 predicts the time of defecation and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation of the subject based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected in step S1, the stool detection results in step S4, and the properties of the stool determined in step S5.

[0049] The defecation prediction unit 27 estimates the position of stool in the large intestine of a subject, for example, by using a machine learning model that has learned the detection results of stool present in the large intestine of a large number of subjects and the position of the ultrasound probe 1 when the stool was detected, and further, by using a trained machine learning model that has learned the position, defecation time, and stool properties of a large number of subjects in the large intestine, it can accurately predict the defecation time and stool properties of the subject at the time of defecation.

[0050] The subject's defecation time and stool properties at the time of defecation predicted in step S6 are transmitted to, for example, the display control unit 22 and displayed on the monitor 23. By checking the display on the monitor 23, the user can easily know the subject's defecation time and stool properties at the time of defecation in advance, and can make preparations for assisting the subject with defecation in advance. This reduces the burden on the user in assisting the subject with defecation.

[0051] When the process of step S6 is completed in this manner, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the flowchart of FIG. 4 is completed.

[0052] As described above, according to the ultrasound diagnostic device of embodiment 1 of the present invention, the defecation prediction unit 27 accurately predicts the time when the subject will defecate and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the position sensor 3 when stool is detected by the stool detection unit 25, the detection result of the stool by the stool detection unit 25, and the properties of the stool determined by the stool property determination unit 26, thereby reducing the burden on the user in assisting the subject with defecation.

[0053] Although the transmitting and receiving circuit 12 has been described as being provided in the ultrasonic probe 1, the transmitting and receiving circuit 12 may be provided in the device main body 2. Furthermore, although the image generating unit 21 has been described as being provided in the device main body 2, the image generating unit 21 may be provided in the ultrasound probe 1.

[0054] The device main body 2 may be a so-called stationary type, a portable type that is easy to carry, or a so-called handheld type that is configured by, for example, a smartphone or a tablet computer. In this way, the type of device that configures the device main body 2 is not particularly limited.

[0055] The monitor 23 of the device main body 2 can also be configured as a so-called head-mounted display. The head-mounted display that configures the monitor 23 is not particularly limited in its shape, display format, and other aspects, as long as it is worn on the user's head and has a display that is close to the user's eyes.

[0056] Also, although it has been explained that ultrasound images acquired by scanning a portion of the subject's large intestine are analyzed by the large intestine detection unit 24, the stool detection unit 25, and the stool condition determination unit 26, and that the defecation prediction unit 27 predicts the subject's defecation time and the stool condition at the time of defecation based on the results of these analyses and the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the position sensor 3, ultrasound images acquired by scanning the subject's entire large intestine may also be analyzed. When the entire large intestine is scanned, the defecation prediction unit 27 can accurately obtain the position of the stool in the subject's large intestine, thereby improving the accuracy of predicting the defecation time and the stool condition at the time of defecation.

[0057] Furthermore, when multiple scans are performed on the large intestine of the same subject at intervals, the defecation prediction unit 27 can also predict the defecation time and the stool properties at the time of defecation by taking into account the position of the stool in the large intestine and changes in the properties of the stool over time obtained by each of the multiple scans. This allows the defecation prediction unit 27 to improve the accuracy of predicting the defecation time and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation.

[0058] 4 is performed at multiple locations in the large intestine, the defecation prediction unit 27 can also predict the defecation time and the stool properties at the time of defecation by taking into account the position and properties of the stool obtained by the processing of steps S1 to S5 in scanning multiple locations in the large intestine. This allows the defecation prediction unit 27 to improve the accuracy of predicting the defecation time and the stool properties at the time of defecation.

[0059] Embodiment 2 To allow the user to smoothly proceed with scanning the colon, the position of the subject's colon and the areas of the colon that have already been scanned can also be displayed on the monitor 23.

[0060] 5 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 2 includes a device main body 2A instead of the device main body 2 in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 1. Device main body 2A includes an image memory 51, a large intestine display unit 52, and a scanned region display unit 53 in addition to device main body 2 in embodiment 1, and includes a body control unit 28A instead of body control unit 28.

[0061] In the device main body 2A, an image memory 51 is connected to the position sensor 3, image generation unit 21, large intestine detection unit 24, and main body control unit 28A. A large intestine display unit 52 is connected to the large intestine detection unit 24, stool detection unit 25, stool property determination unit 26, and main body control unit 28A. A scanned area display unit 53 is connected to the position sensor 3, large intestine display unit 52, and main body control unit 28A. In addition, the large intestine display unit 52 and scanned area display unit 53 are connected to the display control unit 22.

[0062] In addition, the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the large intestine detection unit 24, the stool detection unit 25, the stool property determination unit 26, the defecation prediction unit 27, the main body control unit 28A, the large intestine display unit 52, and the scanned area display unit 53 constitute a processor 32A for the device main body 2A.

[0063] The image memory 51 stores the ultrasound image acquired by the image acquisition unit 31 in association with the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the position sensor 3 under the control of the main body control unit 28A.

[0064] The image memory 51 may be, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an FD (Flexible Disk), an MO disk (Magneto-Optical disk), an MT (Magnetic Tape), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an SD card (Secure Digital card), or a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory) or other recording media.

[0065] When detecting the subject's large intestine in an ultrasound image, the large intestine detection unit 24 detects the contour C of the large intestine A, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, and calculates the range B in which the large intestine A exists in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the ultrasound image U. The large intestine detection unit 24 further calculates the position of range B based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 stored in the image memory 51 in correspondence with this ultrasound image U and the calculated range B. At this time, the large intestine detection unit 24 can represent the position of range B using coordinates relative to a predetermined reference position. The large intestine detection unit 24 sends the position of range B of the large intestine A obtained in this way to the large intestine display unit 52.

[0066] The large intestine display unit 52 acquires the position of the large intestine A based on the position of the range B of the large intestine A calculated by the large intestine detection unit 24 for multiple ultrasound images U acquired by the user scanning the abdomen of the subject. The large intestine display unit 52 also has a model M of the subject's abdomen as shown in Fig. 7, and displays the acquired position P of the large intestine A superimposed on the model M on the monitor 23. The large intestine display unit 52 can, for example, display the position P of the large intestine A in a color different from the color of the model M so that the user can easily confirm the position P of the large intestine A.

[0067] Based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the position sensor 3, the scanned area display unit 53 can display on the monitor 23, for example as shown in Figure 8, the scanned area R of the large intestine A by the ultrasound probe 1, superimposed on the position P of the large intestine A on the model M.

[0068] As described above, according to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of the second embodiment, the large intestine display unit 52 displays the position P of the large intestine A detected by the large intestine detection unit 24 on the monitor 23, superimposed on the abdominal model M, and the scanned area display unit 53 displays the area R of the large intestine A that has been scanned by the ultrasound probe 1 on the monitor 23, based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the position sensor 3. This allows the user to smoothly proceed with scanning while understanding the areas of the large intestine A that have already been scanned and the areas that will be scanned in the future.

[0069] 9, the large intestine display unit 52 can display on the monitor 23 the position of the stool G detected by the stool detection unit 25 together with the position P of the large intestine A on the model M. This allows the user to intuitively and easily grasp the position of the stool G in the large intestine A of the subject.

[0070] Furthermore, the large intestine display unit 52 can also display on the monitor 23 the properties of the stool G determined by the stool property determination unit 26 along with the position P of the large intestine A. Fig. 9 shows an example in which the properties of the stool G determined by the stool property determination unit 26 are displayed using a message E1 that reads "slightly hard stool."

[0071] Furthermore, the defecation prediction unit 27 can display the predicted defecation time and stool properties at the time of defecation on the monitor 23 together with the model diagram M displayed by the large intestine display unit 52. Fig. 9 shows an example in which the defecation time and stool properties at the time of defecation are displayed using a message E2 saying "Hard stool is expected to be excreted at xx:yy".

[0072] Furthermore, although it has been described that the large intestine display unit 52 displays the position P of the subject's large intestine A as a two-dimensional image on the monitor 23, the position P of the large intestine A can also be displayed as a three-dimensional image on the monitor 23. In this case, the large intestine display unit 52 can construct a three-dimensional image of the large intestine A based on the contour C of the large intestine A detected by the large intestine detection unit 24 and the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the position sensor 3, and display the three-dimensional image on the monitor 23.

[0073] Furthermore, although it has been explained that the scanned area display unit 53 displays the scanned area R as a two-dimensional image, when the large intestine display unit 52 displays the position P of the large intestine A as a three-dimensional image, the scanned area R can be displayed as a three-dimensional image in accordance with the display of the position P of the large intestine A.

[0074] Furthermore, when a region determined to be the scanned region R displayed on the monitor 23 is specified by the user via the input device 29, the main body control unit 28A can read out the ultrasound image U acquired in the specified region from the image memory 51 and display it on the monitor 23. This allows the user to easily check the ultrasound image U corresponding to a desired position in the subject's large intestine A, and perform a more detailed examination of the large intestine A.

[0075] Embodiment 3 In the first and second embodiments, the probe position detector that detects the position of the ultrasonic probe 1 is configured by the position sensor 3, but the configuration of the probe position detector is not limited to this.

[0076] Fig. 10 shows the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 3 differs from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 1 in that the position sensor 3 is removed, an optical camera 54 is added, and the apparatus main body 2 is replaced with an apparatus main body 2B. The apparatus main body 2B differs from the apparatus main body 2 according to embodiment 1 in that an optical image analysis unit 55 is added, and the apparatus main body 28 is replaced with a main body control unit 28B.

[0077] In the device main body 2B, an optical image analysis unit 55 is connected to the main body control unit 28B and the optical camera 54. The optical image analysis unit 55 is connected to the defecation prediction unit 27. In addition, the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the large intestine detection unit 24, the stool detection unit 25, the stool property determination unit 26, the defecation prediction unit 27, the main body control unit 28B, and the optical image analysis unit 55 constitute a processor 32B for the device main body 2B. In addition, the optical camera 54 and the optical image analysis unit 55 constitute a probe position detection unit 56.

[0078] The optical camera 54 of the probe position detection unit 56 includes an image sensor such as a so-called CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a so-called CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) image sensor, and captures an optical image by photographing the abdomen of the subject and the ultrasound probe 1 placed on the abdomen. The captured optical image is sent to the optical image analysis unit 55.

[0079] The optical image analysis unit 55 stores, for example, a plurality of template images representing the ultrasound probe 1 and the subject's abdomen, and can search the optical image using a template matching method using these plurality of template images to detect the ultrasound probe 1 and the subject's abdomen, thereby detecting the position of the ultrasound probe 1 on the subject's abdomen. The optical image analysis unit 55 also has a machine learning model that has trained a large number of optical images showing general ultrasound probes and the subject's abdomen, and can also use this machine learning model to detect the position of the ultrasound probe 1 on the subject's abdomen.

[0080] The defecation prediction unit 27 predicts the time of defecation of the subject and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the probe position detection unit 56 when the stool G is detected by the stool detection unit 25, the detection result of the stool G by the stool detection unit 25, and the properties of the stool G determined by the stool property determination unit 26.

[0081] From the above, even when the ultrasound diagnostic device is equipped with the probe position detection unit 56 consisting of the optical camera 54 and the optical image analysis unit 55 instead of the position sensor 3 in embodiment 1, the defecation prediction unit 27 accurately predicts the time of defecation of the subject and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the probe position detection unit 56 when stool G is detected by the stool detection unit 25, the detection result of stool G by the stool detection unit 25, and the properties of stool G determined by the stool property determination unit 26, thereby reducing the burden on the user in assisting the subject with defecation.

[0082] Embodiment 4 In the third embodiment, the position of the ultrasonic probe 1 is detected based on the optical image captured by the optical camera 54, but the position of the ultrasonic probe 1 can also be detected using, for example, a so-called distance measuring device.

[0083] Figure 11 shows the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 4 differs from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to embodiment 1 shown in Figure 1 in that position sensor 3 is removed, a distance measuring device 57 is added, and the apparatus main body 2 is replaced with an apparatus main body 2C. The apparatus main body 2C differs from the apparatus main body 2 according to embodiment 1 in that a probe position identifying unit 58 is added, and the apparatus main body control unit 28 is replaced with a main body control unit 28C.

[0084] In the device main body 2C, a probe position identifying unit 58 is connected to the main body control unit 28C and the distance measuring device 57. The probe position identifying unit 58 is connected to the defecation prediction unit 27. In addition, the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the large intestine detection unit 24, the stool detection unit 25, the stool property determination unit 26, the defecation prediction unit 27, the main body control unit 28B, and the probe position identifying unit 58 constitute a processor 32C for the device main body 2C. In addition, the distance measuring device 57 and the probe position identifying unit 58 constitute a probe position detection unit 59.

[0085] 12, the distance measuring device 57 of the probe position detection unit 59 has a transmitting unit 60 and a receiving unit 61. The distance measuring device 57 is placed near the user and the subject who perform the examination by bringing the ultrasonic probe 1 into contact with the body surface of the subject, and transmits detection signals to the user and the subject and receives reflected signals from them.

[0086] The transmitter 60 of the distance measuring device 57 transmits a detection signal to the user and the subject. The transmitter 60 is a so-called wireless transmitter of electromagnetic waves, and includes, for example, an antenna for transmitting the electromagnetic waves, a signal source such as an oscillator circuit, a modulation circuit for modulating the signal, and an amplifier for amplifying the signal.

[0087] The receiving unit 61 includes an antenna or the like for receiving electromagnetic waves, and receives reflected signals from the user and the subject.

[0088] The ranging device 57 may be configured by a radar that transmits and receives a detection signal of the so-called Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard, which is made up of electromagnetic waves having a center frequency of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, or may be configured by a radar that transmits and receives a wideband detection signal having a center frequency of 1.78 GHz. The ranging device 57 may also be configured by a so-called LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) sensor that transmits a short-wavelength electromagnetic wave such as ultraviolet light, visible light, or infrared light as a detection signal.

[0089] The probe position determination unit 58 analyzes the reflected signal received by the distance measurement device 57 to obtain posture information of the user and the subject, and determines the position of the ultrasonic probe 1 relative to the subject based on the obtained posture information, for example, by determining the position of the user's hand.

[0090] The probe position specifying unit 58 can acquire posture information of the user and the subject, for example, using a machine learning model that learns the reflected signal when the distance measuring device 57 transmits a detection signal to the human body. Specifically, the probe position identification unit 58 may use, for example, "ZHAO, Mingmin, et al. Through-wall human pose estimation using radio signals. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition. 2018. pp. 7356-7365.", "VASILEIADIS, Manolis; BOUGANIS, Christos-Savvas; TZOVARAS, Dimitrios. Multi-person 3D pose estimation from 3D cloud data using 3D convolutional neural networks. Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 2019, 185: 12-23.", "JIANG, Wenjun, et al. Towards 3D human pose construction using WiFi. In: Proceedings of the 26th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. 2020. pp. 1-14.", or "WANG, Fei, et al. Person-in-WiFi: Pose information can be obtained using the method described in "Fine-grained person perception using WiFi. In: Proceedings of the IEEE / CVF International Conference on Computer Vision. 2019. pp. 5452-5461."

[0091] The defecation prediction unit 27 predicts the time of defecation of the subject and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the probe position detection unit 59 when stool is detected by the stool detection unit 25, the detection result of the stool G by the stool detection unit 25, and the properties of the stool G determined by the stool property determination unit 26.

[0092] From the above, even when the ultrasound diagnostic device is equipped with a probe position detection unit 59 consisting of a distance measurement device 57 and a probe position identification unit 58 instead of the position sensor 3 in embodiment 1, the defecation prediction unit 27 accurately predicts the time of defecation of the subject and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe 1 detected by the probe position detection unit 59 when stool G is detected by the stool detection unit 25, the detection result of stool G by the stool detection unit 25, and the properties of stool G determined by the stool property determination unit 26, thereby reducing the burden on the user in assisting the subject with defecation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1 ultrasound probe, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C device body, 3 position sensor, 11 transducer array, 12 transmission / reception circuit, 21 image generation unit, 22 display control unit, 23 monitor, 24 colon detection unit, 25 stool detection unit, 26 stool property determination unit, 27 defecation prediction unit, 28, 28A, 28B, 28C main body control unit, 29 input device, 31 image acquisition unit, 32, 32A, 32B, 32C processor, 41 pulser, 42 amplifier unit, 43 AD conversion unit, 44 beam former, 45 signal processing unit, 46 DSC, 47 image processing unit, 51 image memory, 52 colon display unit, 53 scanned area display unit, 54 optical camera, 55 optical image analysis unit, 56, 59 probe position detection unit, 57 distance measurement device, 58 probe position identification unit, 60 transmission unit, 61 Receiver, A: Colon, B: Area, C: Contour, E1, E2: Messages, M: Model, P: Position, R: Scanned area, U: Ultrasound image.

Claims

1. an ultrasound probe; a probe position detection unit that detects the position of the ultrasonic probe; an image acquisition unit that acquires an ultrasound image of a subject using the ultrasound probe; a large intestine detection unit that detects the large intestine of the subject from the ultrasound image; a stool detection unit that detects stool present in the large intestine detected by the large intestine detection unit from the ultrasound image; a stool property determination unit that determines the property of the stool detected by the stool detection unit; a defecation prediction unit that predicts the timing of defecation and the properties of stool at the time of defecation based on the position of the ultrasound probe detected by the probe position detection unit when the stool is detected by the stool detection unit, the detection result of the stool by the stool detection unit, and the properties of the stool determined by the stool property determination unit; An ultrasound diagnostic device comprising:

2. 2. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the defecation prediction unit predicts the defecation time and stool properties at the time of defecation by using a trained model trained on the position of the stool in the large intestine of a large number of subjects, the defecation time, and the stool properties.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 2 , wherein the trained model predicts the timing of defecation and the stool characteristics at the time of defecation by taking into account secondary parameters that affect the movement of the large intestine.

4. 4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the secondary parameter that influences the movement of the large intestine is at least one of the subject's age, sex, average sleep time, and normal body temperature.

5. The monitor and a large intestine display unit that displays the position of the large intestine detected by the large intestine detection unit on the monitor by superimposing it on a model image of the abdomen; a scanned area display unit that displays on the monitor an area of ​​the large intestine that has been scanned by the ultrasonic probe based on the position of the ultrasonic probe detected by the probe position detection unit; The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the large intestine display unit displays the position of the stool detected by the stool detection unit on the monitor along with the position of the large intestine.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the large intestine display unit displays the stool properties determined by the stool property determining unit on the monitor.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the large intestine display unit and the scanned region display unit display the position of the large intestine and the scanned region as two-dimensional images on the monitor.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the large intestine display unit and the scanned region display unit display the position of the large intestine and the scanned region as three-dimensional images on the monitor.

10. an input device that accepts input operations from a user; an image memory that stores the ultrasound image acquired by the image acquisition unit in association with the position of the ultrasound probe detected by the probe position detection unit; Equipped with 6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the user specifies an area displayed on the monitor that has been determined to be a scanned area via the input device, the ultrasound image acquired in the specified area is read from the image memory and displayed on the monitor.

11. 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the probe position detector includes a position sensor that detects the position of the ultrasonic probe.

12. The probe position detection unit an optical camera for acquiring an optical image of the subject; an optical image analysis unit that detects the position of the ultrasound probe by analyzing the optical image acquired by the optical camera; 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

13. The probe position detection unit a distance measuring device that transmits a detection signal to the object and receives a reflected signal from the object; a probe position identifying unit that identifies the position of the ultrasonic probe by analyzing the reflected signal received by the distance measuring device; 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

14. 6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the monitor is a head-mounted display.

15. Detecting the position of the ultrasound probe; Acquiring an ultrasound image of a subject using the ultrasound probe; detecting the large intestine of the subject from the ultrasound image; detecting feces present in the detected large intestine; determining the properties of the detected stool; The time of defecation and the properties of the stool at the time of defecation are predicted based on the position of the ultrasound probe detected when the stool is detected, the detection result of the stool, and the determined properties of the stool. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

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