Ultrasound diagnostic device and control method for ultrasound diagnostic device

Abstract

This ultrasonic diagnostic device is provided with: an ultrasound probe having a transducer array; and a device body wirelessly connected to the ultrasound probe and having a monitor. The ultrasound probe has: a B-mode processing unit and an M-mode processing unit that generate a B-mode image and an M-mode image on the basis of a reception signal acquired by an ultrasonic scan using the transducer array; a wireless communication circuit that wirelessly transmits the B-mode image and the M-mode image to the device body; and a probe control unit that, each time when the creation of a predetermined number of lines of the B-mode image which is smaller than the number of scan lines for the B-mode image of one frame is completed, controls the wireless communication circuit to alternately perform wireless transmission of the predetermined number of lines of the B-mode image created by the B-mode processing unit and wireless transmission of the M-mode image created by the M-mode processing unit. The B-mode image and the M-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the device body are displayed on a monitor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a control method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in which B-mode (Brightness Mode) images and M-mode (Motion Mode) images generated by an ultrasonic probe are wirelessly transmitted to a device main body, and a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the medical field, ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses using ultrasonic images have been put into practical use. Generally, this type of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe having a built-in vibrator array and a device main body connected to the ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic beam is transmitted from the vibrator array of the ultrasonic probe toward a subject, and an ultrasonic echo from the subject is received by the vibrator array, and an ultrasonic image is generated by electrically processing the received signal and displayed on a monitor of the device main body.

[0003] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, in recent years, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has been developed to improve the operability and mobility of an ultrasonic probe by wirelessly connecting between the ultrasonic probe and the device main body by wireless communication. In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, an ultrasonic image is generated in the ultrasonic probe, compressed, and wirelessly transmitted to the device main body.

[0004] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that generates and displays both B-mode images and M-mode images as ultrasonic images. The M-mode image represents the temporal change in luminance on one scanning line in the B-mode image, and is a useful image when observing a moving part in time series.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] In an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, where an ultrasound probe is wirelessly connected to the main body of the device, if both B-mode and M-mode images are to be generated and wirelessly transmitted to the main body as in Patent Document 2, it is desirable to compress the B-mode and M-mode images respectively before wirelessly transmitting them to the main body of the device in order to ensure the stability of image transmission. In this case, it is preferable to prioritize two-dimensional image compression in order to improve compression efficiency. Therefore, the B-mode images, which are two-dimensional images, are compressed and wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the main unit of the device frame by frame, while the M-mode images are compressed and then wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the main unit of the device at any time outside of the transmission period of the B-mode images.

[0007] However, during the period when B-mode images are transmitted frame by frame, M-mode images cannot be transmitted. As a result, the display frame rate of M-mode images on the device itself fluctuates partially, which causes a problem in that the screen display cannot be updated smoothly. As a result, it may become difficult to perform intuitive diagnoses by observing the M-mode images displayed on the device's monitor, thus reducing convenience.

[0008] The present invention was made to solve the problems of the conventional methods, and aims to provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that can smoothly display M-mode images on the main unit while wirelessly transmitting B-mode and M-mode images from the ultrasound probe to the main unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is An ultrasonic probe having a transducer array, A device body that is wirelessly connected to an ultrasound probe and has a monitor Equipped with, Ultrasound probes are A B-mode processing unit and an M-mode processing unit that generate B-mode and M-mode images based on received signals acquired by scanning ultrasound using a transducer array, A wireless communication circuit that wirelessly transmits B-mode and M-mode images to the main unit of the device, A probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit so that, each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in a single frame of B-mode image, is generated, the wireless transmission of the B-mode image with a fixed number of lines generated by the B-mode processing unit and the wireless transmission of the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit are performed alternately. It has, A key feature is that B-mode and M-mode images, wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the main unit, are displayed on the monitor.

[0010] The ultrasound probe has a B-mode image compression processing unit for compressing B-mode images and an M-mode image compression processing unit for compressing M-mode images, and the constant number of lines is preferably the number of compression line units in the B-mode image compression processing unit. The probe control unit preferably controls the wireless communication circuit to prioritize the transmission of M-mode images and discard untransmitted B-mode images when the wireless transmission rate in the wireless communication circuit falls below a predetermined rate threshold.

[0011] Furthermore, the wireless communication circuit can vary the number of lines transmitted wirelessly for M-mode images depending on the wireless transmission rate. Preferably, the probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit to discard untransmitted M-mode images when the delay amount of wireless transmission of M-mode images by the wireless communication circuit exceeds a predetermined delay threshold. Furthermore, the device itself can display the M-mode image on the monitor by blanking out any missing parts in the M-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe.

[0012] The control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is: A control method for an ultrasound diagnostic device in which the main unit of the device is wirelessly connected to an ultrasound probe having a transducer array, Based on the received signal acquired by scanning ultrasound using a transducer array, the ultrasound probe generates B-mode and M-mode images. Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in a single frame of B-mode image, is generated, the generated B-mode image with a fixed number of lines is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the main unit, and the generated M-mode image is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the main unit alternately. The device is characterized by displaying B-mode and M-mode images, which are wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the main unit, on the monitor of the main unit.

[0013] The B-mode image and M-mode image are compressed and then wirelessly transmitted to the device, and the number of lines is preferably the number of compressed lines for the B-mode image. When the wireless transmission rate from the oscillator array to the main unit falls below a predetermined rate threshold, it is preferable to prioritize the transmission of M-mode images and discard untransmitted B-mode images.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of lines in the wireless transmission of M-mode images can be varied according to the wireless transmission rate from the transducer array to the main unit of the device. It is preferable to discard untransmitted M-mode images if the delay in wireless transmission of M-mode images exceeds a predetermined delay threshold. Furthermore, if there are missing parts in the M-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe, the missing parts can be blanked out and the M-mode image can be displayed on the monitor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, the ultrasonic probe has a probe control unit that controls the wireless communication circuit such that, every time the generation of a B-mode image having a certain number of lines less than the number of scanning lines in one frame of the B-mode image is completed, wireless transmission of the B-mode image having the certain number of lines generated by the B-mode processing unit and wireless transmission of the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit are alternately performed. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly display the M-mode image on the apparatus main body while wirelessly transmitting the B-mode image and the M-mode image from the ultrasonic probe to the apparatus main body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a reception circuit in the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a timing chart showing the state of ultrasonic transmission and reception when performing inspections in B-mode and M-mode simultaneously. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a B-mode processing unit in the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of an M-mode processing unit in the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a B-mode image and an M-mode image displayed on a monitor. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing the operation of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] In the embodiment, it is a timing chart showing a series of steps from ultrasonic transmission and reception to display of a B-mode image and an M-mode image. [Figure 9] In a modified example of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is a timing chart showing a series of steps from ultrasonic transmission and reception to display of a B-mode image and an M-mode image.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The following description of the constituent elements is based on a typical embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. In this specification, a numerical range represented by "~" means a range that includes the numbers written before and after "~" as the lower and upper limits, respectively. In this specification, “identical” and “same” include the range of error that is generally accepted in the art.

[0018] Figure 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an ultrasound probe 1 and a main unit 2 wirelessly connected to the ultrasound probe 1, and is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that generates and displays B-mode (Brightness Mode) images and M-mode (Motion Mode) images.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the ultrasonic probe 1 has a transducer array 11, to which a transmitting circuit 12 and a receiving circuit 13 are connected. A transmit / receive control unit 14 is connected to the transmitting circuit 12 and the receiving circuit 13, and a B-mode processing unit 15A and an M-mode processing unit 15B are connected in parallel to the receiving circuit 13. A B-mode memory 16A and a B-mode image compression processing unit 17A are sequentially connected to the B-mode processing unit 15A, and an M-mode memory 16B and an M-mode image compression processing unit 17B are sequentially connected to the M-mode processing unit 15B. Furthermore, a multiplexer 18 is connected to the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A and the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B, a wireless communication circuit 19 is connected to the multiplexer 18, and a communication control unit 20 is connected to the wireless communication circuit 19.

[0020] A probe control unit 21 is connected to the transmit / receive control unit 14, B-mode processing unit 15A, M-mode processing unit 15B, B-mode image compression processing unit 17A, M-mode image compression processing unit 17B, multiplexer 18, and communication control unit 20. The probe-side processor 22 is comprised of a transmitting circuit 12, a receiving circuit 13, a transmitting / receiving control unit 14, a B-mode processing unit 15A, an M-mode processing unit 15B, a B-mode image compression processing unit 17A, an M-mode image compression processing unit 17B, a multiplexer 18, a communication control unit 20, and a probe control unit 21. Furthermore, the ultrasonic probe 1 has a built-in battery 23.

[0021] Meanwhile, the main unit 2 has a wireless communication circuit 31, to which a display control unit 32 and a monitor 33 are sequentially connected. A communication control unit 34 is also connected to the wireless communication circuit 31, and a main unit control unit 35 is connected to both the display control unit 32 and the communication control unit 34. Furthermore, an input device 36 is connected to the main unit control unit 35. The main unit processor 37 is composed of a display control unit 32, a communication control unit 34, and a main unit control unit 35. Furthermore, the main unit 2 of the device has a built-in battery 38.

[0022] The transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in one or two dimensions. Each of these transducers transmits ultrasound according to a drive signal supplied from the transmitting circuit 12 and receives reflected waves from the subject to output an analog received signal. Each transducer is constructed by forming electrodes at both ends of a piezoelectric body made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), or a piezoelectric single crystal represented by PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate).

[0023] The transmitting circuit 12 includes, for example, multiple pulse generators, and based on a transmission delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the transmitting / receiving control unit 14, it supplies each drive signal to the multiple transducers of the transducer array 11, adjusting the delay amount, so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the multiple transducers form an ultrasonic beam. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducers of the transducer array 11, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts, generating pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves from each transducer, and an ultrasonic beam is formed from the combined wave of these ultrasonic waves.

[0024] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected by an object, such as a part of the subject, and the ultrasonic echo propagates toward the transducer array 11. The ultrasonic echo propagating toward the transducer array 11 is received by each of the transducers that make up the transducer array 11. At this time, each transducer that makes up the transducer array 11 expands and contracts upon receiving the propagating ultrasonic echo, generating a received signal (electrical signal), and outputs these received signals to the receiving circuit 13.

[0025] The receiving circuit 13 processes the signal output from the oscillator array 11 according to the control signal from the transmitting / receiving control unit 14 to generate an acoustic signal. As shown in Figure 2, the receiving circuit 13 has a configuration in which an amplification unit 41, an AD (Analog Digital) conversion unit 42, and a beamformer 43 are connected in series.

[0026] The amplification unit 41 amplifies the received signals, which are analog signals input from each of the oscillators constituting the oscillator array 11, and transmits the amplified received signals to the AD conversion unit 42. The AD conversion unit 42 converts the analog received signal transmitted from the amplification unit 41 into a digital signal to acquire received data, and sends this received data to the beamformer 43. The beamformer 43 performs a so-called receive focus process, which involves adding (phase-aligned summation) each received data point according to a set sound velocity, based on a receive delay pattern selected in accordance with a control signal from the transmit / receive control unit 14. This receive focus process generates a sound ray signal with a focused ultrasonic echo.

[0027] The transmit / receive control unit 14 transmits an ultrasonic beam and receives ultrasonic echoes based on the inspection mode and scanning method instructed by the probe control unit 21 by controlling the transmit circuit 12 and the receive circuit 13. Here, the inspection mode includes inspection modes usable in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, including at least B mode and M mode, and the scanning method is one of the following, for example, electronic sector scanning, electronic linear scanning, or electronic convex scanning.

[0028] B-mode and M-mode inspections may be performed simultaneously. In this case, the transmit / receive control unit 14 controls the transmit / receive circuit 12 and the receive circuit 13 so that a series of ultrasonic transmissions and receptions are performed in time division to scan from one end to the other in the sub-scanning direction (orthogonal direction to the depth direction) in the acquisition area of ​​the B-mode image, and ultrasonic transmissions and receptions are performed repeatedly at a predetermined time interval ΔT along a single scan line SL designated for acquiring an M-mode image, as shown in Figure 3.

[0029] In other words, after sequentially transmitting and receiving ultrasound along the corresponding scan lines in the sub-scanning direction, one ultrasound transmission and reception is performed along one scan line SL that captures the M-mode image, and then sequentially transmitting and receiving ultrasound along the corresponding scan lines in the sub-scanning direction again, and then one ultrasound transmission and reception is performed along one scan line SL that captures the M-mode image, and so on, the receiving circuit 13 acquires the sound line signal corresponding to one frame of the B-mode image and the sound line signal corresponding to the M-mode image.

[0030] Similarly, sound line signals corresponding to B-mode images and M-mode images of multiple consecutive frames are acquired. The sound line signals corresponding to B-mode images are sent from the receiving circuit 13 to the B-mode processing unit 15A, and the sound line signals corresponding to M-mode images are sent from the receiving circuit 13 to the M-mode processing unit 15B.

[0031] The B-mode processing unit 15A generates a so-called B-mode image based on the sound line signal corresponding to the B-mode image generated by the receiving circuit 13. As shown in Figure 4, the B-mode processing unit 15A has a configuration in which the signal processing unit 44A, the DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 45A, and the image processing unit 46A are connected in series in sequence.

[0032] The signal processing unit 44A applies distance-dependent attenuation correction to the sound line signal corresponding to the B-mode image generated by the receiving circuit 13, according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position, and then performs envelope detection processing to generate a B-mode image signal, which is tomographic image information of the subject's internal tissues. The DSC45A converts the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 44A into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal (raster conversion). The image processing unit 46A performs various necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, on the B-mode image signal input from the DSC 45A, and then sends the processed B-mode image signal (hereinafter referred to as the B-mode image) to the B-mode memory 16A.

[0033] The M-mode processing unit 15B generates a so-called M-mode image based on the sound line signal corresponding to the M-mode image generated by the receiving circuit 13. As shown in Figure 5, the M-mode processing unit 15B has a configuration in which the signal processing unit 44B and the image processing unit 46B are connected in series.

[0034] The signal processing unit 44B generates an M-mode image signal by applying distance-dependent attenuation correction to the sound line signal corresponding to the M-mode image generated by the receiving circuit 13, according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position, and then performing envelope detection processing. The M-mode image shows the time axis on the horizontal axis and the brightness on one scan line SL on the vertical axis, and visualizes the change in brightness distribution on one scan line SL over time. The image processing unit 46B performs various necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, on the M-mode image signal input from the signal processing unit 44B, and then sends the processed M-mode image signal (hereinafter referred to as the M-mode image) to the M-mode memory 16B.

[0035] The B-mode memory 16A is a buffer memory that temporarily stores B-mode images generated by the B-mode processing unit 15A. Similarly, the M-mode memory 16B is a buffer memory that temporarily stores the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit 15B.

[0036] The B-mode image compression processing unit 17A compresses the B-mode images stored in the B-mode memory 16A into a format such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). Specifically, the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A is configured with a number of compression lines, such as 8 lines, and the B-mode image is compressed for each compression line unit. Similarly, the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B applies one-dimensional compression, such as differential compression, to the M-mode images stored in the M-mode memory 16B.

[0037] The multiplexer 18, under the control of the probe control unit 21, selectively sends the B-mode image compressed in the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A and the M-mode image compressed in the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B to the wireless communication circuit 19.

[0038] The wireless communication circuit 19 sequentially transmits the B-mode image and M-mode image selected by the multiplexer 18 to the main unit 2 wirelessly. More specifically, the wireless communication circuit 19 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves. It generates a transmission signal by modulating the carrier based on the B-mode image and M-mode image, supplies the transmission signal to the antenna, and transmits radio waves from the antenna, thereby wirelessly transmitting the B-mode image and M-mode image to the device body 2. Carrier modulation methods include ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying), PSK (Phase Shift Keying), QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), 16QAM (16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), etc.

[0039] The communication control unit 20 controls the wireless communication circuit 19 so that B-mode images and M-mode images are transmitted at the transmission signal strength set by the probe control unit 21. The probe control unit 21 controls each part of the ultrasonic probe 1 based on a pre-stored program or the like.

[0040] Furthermore, when performing B-mode and M-mode inspections simultaneously, the probe control unit 21 controls the multiplexer 18 and the wireless communication circuit 19 so that each time the B-mode processing unit 15A completes generating a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines N2 that is less than the number of scanned lines N1 in a single frame of B-mode image, the wireless transmission of this B-mode image with a fixed number of lines N2 to the device body 2 and the wireless transmission of the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit 15B to the device body 2 occur alternately.

[0041] Here, a certain number of lines N2, which is less than the number of scan lines N1 in a single frame of B-mode image, can be set, for example, to the number of compression line units in the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A. That is, each time the compression processing of the number of compression line units is completed in the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A, a strip-shaped B-mode image corresponding to the number of compression line units is sent from the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A to the wireless communication circuit 19 via the multiplexer 18 and wirelessly transmitted to the main unit 2. Subsequently, the M-mode image corresponding to the number of compression line units, which has been compressed in the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B, is sent from the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B to the wireless communication circuit 19 via the multiplexer 18 and wirelessly transmitted to the main unit 2.

[0042] Furthermore, the battery 23 is built into the ultrasonic probe 1 and supplies power to each circuit within the ultrasonic probe 1.

[0043] The probe-side processor 22, which includes a transmitting circuit 12, a receiving circuit 13, a transmitting / receiving control unit 14, a B-mode processing unit 15A, an M-mode processing unit 15B, a B-mode image compression processing unit 17A, an M-mode image compression processing unit 17B, a multiplexer 18, a communication control unit 20, and a probe control unit 21 of the ultrasonic probe 1, is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes various programs and a control program that causes the CPU to perform various processes. However, it may also be composed of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or other ICs (Integrated Circuits), or a combination thereof.

[0044] Furthermore, the transmit circuit 12, receive circuit 13, transmit / receive control unit 14, B-mode processing unit 15A, M-mode processing unit 15B, B-mode image compression processing unit 17A, M-mode image compression processing unit 17B, multiplexer 18, communication control unit 20, and probe control unit 21 of the probe-side processor 22 can also be partially or entirely integrated into a single CPU or the like.

[0045] The wireless communication circuit 31 of the main unit 2 receives B-mode and M-mode images wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 19 of the ultrasonic probe 1. More specifically, the wireless communication circuit 31 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, receives the transmission signal transmitted by the wireless communication circuit 19 of the ultrasonic probe 1 via the antenna, and demodulates the received transmission signal to send B-mode and M-mode images to the display control unit 32.

[0046] The display control unit 32 displays the B-mode image and M-mode image received via the wireless communication circuit 31 as display images on the monitor 33. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the display control unit 32 displays the B-mode image UB and the M-mode image UM side by side on the screen of the monitor 33.

[0047] The monitor 33 displays a B-mode image UB and an M-mode image UM as display images under the control of the display control unit 32, and includes, for example, display devices such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0048] The communication control unit 34 controls the wireless communication circuit 31 so that it receives the transmission signal sent from the wireless communication circuit 19 of the ultrasonic probe 1. The main control unit 35 controls each part of the main body 2 of the device based on a program pre-stored in a storage unit (not shown) and input operations from the operator via the input device 36. The input device 36 is for the operator to perform input operations and can be configured with a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touchpad, touch panel, etc. Alternatively, a touch sensor can be combined with the monitor 33, and the touch sensor can be used as the input device 36. The battery 38 supplies power to each circuit within the main unit 2. Alternatively, the main unit 2 can be configured to draw power from a commercial power source and supply power to each circuit within it, without the main unit 2 being built-in.

[0049] The main unit processor 37, which includes the display control unit 32, communication control unit 34, and main unit control unit 35 of the main unit 2 of the device, consists of a CPU and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various processes. It may also be configured using an FPGA, DSP, ASIC, GPU, or other IC, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the display control unit 32, communication control unit 34, and main unit control unit 35 of the main unit processor 37 can be partially or entirely integrated into a single CPU or the like.

[0050] Next, referring to the flowchart in Figure 7, we will explain the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic device when performing B-mode and M-mode examinations simultaneously.

[0051] First, in step S1, ultrasound is transmitted and received by the ultrasound probe 1. At this time, under the control of the transmission / reception control unit 14, the ultrasound probe 1 transmits an ultrasound beam into the subject from multiple transducers of the transducer array 11 according to the drive signal from the transmission circuit 12. The ultrasound echo from the subject is received by multiple transducers of the transducer array 11, and the received signal, which is an analog signal, is output from the multiple transducers to the receiving circuit 13. As shown in Figure 3, a series of ultrasonic transmissions and receptions for scanning from one end to the other in the sub-scanning direction, and ultrasonic transmissions and receptions repeated at a predetermined time interval ΔT along a single scan line SL designated for acquiring an M-mode image, are performed in time division.

[0052] In the subsequent step S2, the received signal is amplified by the amplification unit 41 of the receiving circuit 13, converted by the AD conversion unit 42, and then subjected to reception focus processing in the beamformer 43 to generate an audio line signal. The audio line signal corresponding to the B-mode image is sent from the receiving circuit 13 to the B-mode processing unit 15A, and the audio line signal corresponding to the M-mode image is sent from the receiving circuit 13 to the M-mode processing unit 15B.

[0053] Furthermore, in step S3, the sound line signal corresponding to the B-mode image is input to the B-mode processing unit 15A, and the B-mode image is generated by the B-mode processing unit 15A. In parallel with the generation of this B-mode image, the sound line signal corresponding to the M-mode image is input to the M-mode processing unit 15B, and the M-mode image is generated by the M-mode processing unit 15B.

[0054] At this time, the signal processing unit 44A of the B-mode processing unit 15A performs distance-dependent attenuation correction according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position and envelope detection processing to generate a B-mode image signal. The DSC 45A converts it into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal. Furthermore, the image processing unit 46A performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing to generate a B-mode image, which is then stored in the B-mode memory 16A.

[0055] Similarly, the signal processing unit 44B of the M-mode processing unit 15B performs distance-dependent attenuation correction according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position and envelope detection processing to generate an M-mode image signal. Furthermore, the image processing unit 46B performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing to generate an M-mode image, which is then stored in the M-mode memory 16B.

[0056] The B-mode images stored in the B-mode memory 16A are sequentially compressed by the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A. Specifically, the B-mode images are compressed for each set number of compression line units in the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A. Similarly, M-mode images stored in the M-mode memory 16B are sequentially compressed by the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B. Specifically, the M-mode images are compressed for each compression line unit set in the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B.

[0057] In this way, once the B-mode image and M-mode image are generated and compressed, step S4 determines whether the generation of a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines N2, which is less than the number of scan lines N1 in a single frame of the B-mode image, has been completed. For example, it is determined whether the compression of the B-mode image by the number of compression lines set as the number of lines N2 in the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A has been completed.

[0058] Then, when it is determined that the compression of the B-mode image for the number of compression lines has been completed, it is determined that the generation of a B-mode image with N2 lines has been completed, and the process proceeds to step S5, where the B-mode image compressed in the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A is selected by the multiplexer 18 and wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 19 to the main unit 2 of the device. Once the wireless transmission of the B-mode image in step S5 is complete, in the following step S6, the multiplexer 18 selects the M-mode image compressed in the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B and wirelessly transmits it from the wireless communication circuit 19 to the main unit 2.

[0059] The B-mode and M-mode images transmitted wirelessly to the main unit 2 are received by the wireless communication circuit 31 of the main unit 2 and transmitted to the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, in step S7, the B-mode image UB and the M-mode image UM are displayed on the screen of the monitor 33.

[0060] Subsequently, in step S8, it is determined whether the series of tests has been completed. If it is determined that the tests have not yet been completed, the process returns to step S1, and steps S1 to S7 are repeated. If, as a result of the determination in step S4, it is determined that the compression of the B-mode image for the number of compression lines set as N2 in the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A has not been completed, the process returns to step S1, and steps S1 to S3 are repeated until it is determined that the compression of the B-mode image for the number of compression lines has been completed.

[0061] In this embodiment, the series of steps from the transmission and reception of ultrasound by the ultrasound probe 1 to the display of the B-mode image UB and M-mode image UM on the monitor 33 of the device body 2 are shown in the timing chart of Figure 8. When ultrasonic transmission and reception begin at time T0, a series of ultrasonic transmissions and receptions for scanning from one end to the other in the sub-scanning direction, and ultrasonic transmissions and receptions repeated at predetermined time intervals ΔT along a single scan line SL designated for acquiring an M-mode image, are performed in time division. The audio signal corresponding to the B-mode image is processed by the B-mode processing unit 15A to generate a B-mode image. In parallel with the generation of this B-mode image, the audio signal corresponding to the M-mode image is processed by the M-mode processing unit 15B to generate an M-mode image.

[0062] Then, once the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A has finished compressing the B-mode image with a line count of N2 (the number of compression lines), the compressed B-mode image with line count N2 is wirelessly transmitted to the main unit 2. At time T1, when the wireless transmission is completed, the M-mode image compressed by the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B is then wirelessly transmitted to the main unit 2. The B-mode and M-mode images transmitted wirelessly in this manner are displayed on the monitor 33 of the main unit 2.

[0063] As a result, M-mode images are transmitted wirelessly with a delay after B-mode images. However, since B-mode and M-mode images are transmitted wirelessly alternately each time a B-mode image with fewer lines (N2) than the number of scan lines (N1) in a single frame of B-mode image is generated, the delay time ΔT0 of the M-mode image relative to the B-mode image is smaller compared to the conventional method of transmitting the B-mode image wirelessly frame by frame before transmitting the M-mode image.

[0064] Furthermore, since an M-mode image is transmitted wirelessly each time a B-mode image with N2 lines is generated, the M-mode images are transmitted wirelessly to the device body 2 at shorter time intervals D compared to the conventional method of transmitting one frame of B-mode image wirelessly before transmitting the M-mode image. Therefore, the M-mode images can be displayed smoothly and at a stable frame rate on the monitor 33 of the device body 2. As a result, intuitive diagnosis becomes possible by observing the M-mode images displayed on the monitor 33 of the device body 2.

[0065] The B-mode image compression processing unit 17A compresses the B-mode image for each line count N2, and by repeatedly transmitting the B-mode image wirelessly multiple times, one frame of the B-mode image is generated and displayed on the monitor 33 of the device body 2. While this one frame of the B-mode image is being generated, the wireless transmission of the M-mode image is repeated multiple times. In this way, the B-mode image of the first frame B1 is generated and displayed during the period from time T0 to T2, the B-mode image of the second frame B2 is generated and displayed during the period from time T2 to T3, and the B-mode image of the third frame B3 is generated and displayed during the period from time T3 to T4. The M-mode image is wirelessly transmitted to the device body 2 at time intervals D and smoothly displayed on the monitor 33 of the device body 2.

[0066] Furthermore, if the communication environment between the ultrasound probe 1 and the main unit 2 deteriorates and the wireless transmission rate in the wireless communication circuit 19 of the ultrasound probe 1 decreases, it will take time to transmit the B-mode image compressed by the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A for each compression line unit. As a result, even if a newly compressed B-mode image is to be wirelessly transmitted to the main unit 2, there is a risk that the wireless transmission of the previously compressed B-mode image may not have been completed.

[0067] Therefore, the probe control unit 21 can control the wireless communication circuit 19 so that, when the wireless transmission rate in the wireless communication circuit 19 falls below a predetermined rate threshold, the wireless communication circuit 19 discards B-mode images that have not been transmitted wirelessly, and the M-mode image compressed by the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B preferentially transmits the compressed M-mode images to the device body 2 wirelessly.

[0068] For example, as shown in Figure 9, if the wireless transmission rate in the wireless communication circuit 19 falls below a predetermined rate threshold, causing a delay in the transmission of newly compressed B-mode images after time T2A, the B-mode image compressed by the B-mode image compression processing unit 17A and relating to the corresponding second frame B2 is discarded in the wireless communication circuit 19, and wireless transmission of M-mode images is given priority. As a result, wireless transmission of M-mode images at time intervals D is maintained even after time T2A, enabling smooth display of M-mode images on the monitor 33 of the device body 2.

[0069] The B-mode image will be transmitted wirelessly to the device body 2 again once the communication environment is restored and the wireless transmission rate in the wireless communication circuit 19 exceeds a predetermined rate threshold. Figure 9 shows how the B-mode image for the third frame B3 is transmitted wirelessly from time T3 and displayed on the monitor 33 of the device body 2. While the B-mode image is being discarded in the wireless communication circuit 19, the B-mode image for the first frame B1 that was displayed on the monitor 33 of the device body 2 immediately before will continue to be displayed.

[0070] Furthermore, the M-mode images generated by the M-mode processing unit 15B are stored in the M-mode memory 16B, then compressed in units of compression lines set by the M-mode image compression processing unit 17B, and wirelessly transmitted to the main unit 2. By taking differences between M-mode images and performing lossless compression, the amount of data transmitted can be reduced. Thus, when wirelessly transmitting multiple lines of M-mode images along a single scan line SL, the time delay until transmission varies depending on the number of lines transmitted wirelessly. Furthermore, the time required for wireless transmission varies depending on the communication environment. Therefore, the probe control unit 21 can control the wireless communication circuit 19 to vary the number of lines of M-mode image wireless transmission according to the wireless transmission rate of the wireless communication circuit 19. By doing so, even if there are fluctuations in the communication environment, it is possible to maintain wireless transmission of M-mode images at a constant time interval D, and to smoothly display M-mode images on the monitor 33 of the main unit 2.

[0071] Furthermore, the probe control unit 21 may control the wireless communication circuit 19 to discard untransmitted M-mode images if the delay in wireless transmission of M-mode images by the wireless communication circuit 19 exceeds a predetermined delay threshold due to fluctuations in the communication environment or the like. In this case, a gap will occur in the M-mode image, but the device body 2 can display the M-mode image on the monitor 33 with the gap blank. Similarly, if a communication error occurs and a gap occurs in the M-mode image, the M-mode image can be displayed on the monitor 33 with the gap blank.

[0072] In addition, the device body 2 in the above embodiment can be a portable or handheld compact device body, or a stationary device body. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0073] 1 Ultrasonic probe, 2 Main unit, 11 Transducer array, 12 Transmitting circuit, 13 Receiving circuit, 14 Transmit / receive control unit, 15A B-mode processing unit, 15B M-mode processing unit, 16A B-mode memory, 16B M-mode memory, 17A B-mode image compression processing unit, 17B M-mode image compression processing unit, 18 Multiplexer, 19 Wireless communication circuit, 20 Communication control unit, 21 Probe control unit, 22 Probe-side processor, 23 Battery, 31 Wireless communication circuit, 32 Display control unit, 33 Monitor, 34 Communication control unit, 35 Main unit control unit, 36 Input device, 37 Main unit-side processor, 38 Battery, 41 Amplifier, 42 AD converter, 43 Beamformer, 44A, 44B Signal processing unit, 45A DSC, 46A, 46B Image processing unit, ΔT0 Delay time, UB B-mode image, UM M-mode image, SL Scan line, ΔT,D Time intervals, B1, B2, B3 frames.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe having a transducer array, The device body is wirelessly connected to the ultrasonic probe and has a monitor. Equipped with, The aforementioned ultrasonic probe is A B-mode processing unit and an M-mode processing unit that generate B-mode and M-mode images based on received signals acquired by scanning ultrasound using a transducer array, A wireless communication circuit that wirelessly transmits the B-mode image and the M-mode image to the main body of the device, Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in a single frame of B-mode image, is generated, a probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit so that the wireless transmission of the B-mode image with a fixed number of lines generated by the B-mode processing unit and the wireless transmission of the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit are performed alternately. It has, The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main body of the device are displayed on the monitor. The probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit to prioritize the transmission of the M-mode image and discard the untransmitted B-mode image when the wireless transmission rate in the wireless communication circuit falls below a predetermined rate threshold, in an ultrasound diagnostic device.

2. An ultrasonic probe having a transducer array, The device body is wirelessly connected to the ultrasonic probe and has a monitor. Equipped with, The aforementioned ultrasonic probe is A B-mode processing unit and an M-mode processing unit that generate B-mode and M-mode images based on received signals acquired by scanning ultrasound using a transducer array, A wireless communication circuit that wirelessly transmits the B-mode image and the M-mode image to the main body of the device, Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in a single frame of B-mode image, is generated, a probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit so that the wireless transmission of the B-mode image with a fixed number of lines generated by the B-mode processing unit and the wireless transmission of the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit are performed alternately. It has, The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main body of the device are displayed on the monitor. The wireless communication circuit is an ultrasound diagnostic device that varies the number of lines of wireless transmission of the M-mode image according to the wireless transmission rate.

3. An ultrasonic probe having a transducer array, The device body is wirelessly connected to the ultrasonic probe and has a monitor. Equipped with, The aforementioned ultrasonic probe is A B-mode processing unit and an M-mode processing unit that generate B-mode and M-mode images based on received signals acquired by scanning ultrasound using a transducer array, A wireless communication circuit that wirelessly transmits the B-mode image and the M-mode image to the main body of the device, Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in a single frame of B-mode image, is generated, a probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit so that the wireless transmission of the B-mode image with a fixed number of lines generated by the B-mode processing unit and the wireless transmission of the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit are performed alternately. It has, The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main body of the device are displayed on the monitor. The probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit to discard untransmitted M-mode images when the delay amount of wireless transmission of the M-mode images by the wireless communication circuit exceeds a predetermined delay threshold.

4. An ultrasonic probe having a transducer array, The device body is wirelessly connected to the ultrasonic probe and has a monitor. Equipped with, The aforementioned ultrasonic probe is A B-mode processing unit and an M-mode processing unit that generate B-mode and M-mode images based on received signals acquired by scanning ultrasound using a transducer array, A wireless communication circuit that wirelessly transmits the B-mode image and the M-mode image to the main body of the device, Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in a single frame of B-mode image, is generated, a probe control unit controls the wireless communication circuit so that the wireless transmission of the B-mode image with a fixed number of lines generated by the B-mode processing unit and the wireless transmission of the M-mode image generated by the M-mode processing unit are performed alternately. It has, The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main body of the device are displayed on the monitor. The device body is an ultrasound diagnostic device that, when there is a defect in the M-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe, blanks out that portion and displays the M-mode image on the monitor.

5. The ultrasound probe has a B-mode image compression processing unit for compressing the B-mode image and an M-mode image compression processing unit for compressing the M-mode image. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the aforementioned certain number of lines is the number of compression line units in the B-mode image compression processing unit.

6. A control method for an ultrasound diagnostic device in which the main unit of the device is wirelessly connected to an ultrasound probe having a transducer array, Based on the received signal obtained by scanning with ultrasound using the transducer array, the ultrasound probe generates a B-mode image and an M-mode image. Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in one frame of the B-mode image, is generated, the generated B-mode image with the fixed number of lines is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, and the generated M-mode image is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, alternately. The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit of the device are displayed on the monitor of the main unit of the device. When the wireless transmission rate from the transducer array to the main body of the device falls below a predetermined rate threshold, the M-mode image is transmitted preferentially, and the untransmitted B-mode image is discarded. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

7. A control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in which the apparatus body is wirelessly connected to an ultrasound probe having a transducer array, Based on the received signal obtained by scanning with ultrasound using the transducer array, the ultrasound probe generates a B-mode image and an M-mode image. Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in one frame of the B-mode image, is generated, the generated B-mode image with the fixed number of lines is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, and the generated M-mode image is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, alternately. The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit of the device are displayed on the monitor of the main unit of the device. The number of lines in the wireless transmission of the M-mode image is varied according to the wireless transmission rate from the transducer array to the main body of the device. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

8. A control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in which the apparatus body is wirelessly connected to an ultrasound probe having a transducer array, Based on the received signal obtained by scanning with ultrasound using the transducer array, the ultrasound probe generates a B-mode image and an M-mode image. Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in one frame of the B-mode image, is generated, the generated B-mode image with the fixed number of lines is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, and the generated M-mode image is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, alternately. The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit of the device are displayed on the monitor of the main unit of the device. If the delay in the wireless transmission of the M-mode image exceeds a predetermined delay threshold, the untransmitted M-mode image is discarded. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

9. A control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in which the apparatus body is wirelessly connected to an ultrasound probe having a transducer array, Based on the received signal obtained by scanning with ultrasound using the transducer array, the ultrasound probe generates a B-mode image and an M-mode image. Each time a B-mode image with a fixed number of lines, less than the number of scan lines in one frame of the B-mode image, is generated, the generated B-mode image with the fixed number of lines is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, and the generated M-mode image is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit, alternately. The B-mode image and the M-mode image transmitted wirelessly from the ultrasonic probe to the main unit of the device are displayed on the monitor of the main unit of the device. If there are missing parts in the M-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe, the missing parts will be blanked out and the M-mode image will be displayed on the monitor. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

10. The B-mode image and the M-mode image are compressed and then wirelessly transmitted to the device body. The control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the constant number of lines is the number of compressed line units for the B-mode image.

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