JP2017035300A - Ultrasonic observation device, operation method of ultrasonic observation device, operation program of ultrasonic observation device, and ultrasonic observation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a frame rate and reduce a burden on an operator when an operator performs an operation of displaying an image of a desired region in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial type ultrasonic endoscope. do. SOLUTION: An ultrasonic observation device transmits ultrasonic waves radially to an observation target along a plurality of sound line directions, and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the observation target by a radial type ultrasonic transducer. An image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal, an input unit that receives a signal based on an input operation of a drawing area for an ultrasonic image, and a drawing area setting unit that sets a drawing area according to the signal. , The distance between the contour line of the set drawing area and the transducer position, which is the position of the ultrasonic transducer on the ultrasonic image generated by the image generator, in the predetermined radial direction centered on the transducer position. A distance calculation unit for calculating the distance of the ultrasonic vibrator and a control unit for controlling the drive of the ultrasonic vibrator based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit are provided. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic observation apparatus that observes a tissue to be observed using ultrasonic waves, an operation method of the ultrasonic observation apparatus, an operation program for the ultrasonic observation apparatus, and an ultrasonic observation system.

  Conventionally, a radial type ultrasonic endoscope including an ultrasonic transducer having a plurality of elements arranged radially along a plurality of sound ray directions is known. In an ultrasonic observation system using a radial type ultrasonic endoscope, a signal is sequentially applied to each element along the circumferential direction to transmit an ultrasonic wave to the subject, and an ultrasonic echo reflected by the subject is received. Receive. In a normal radial type ultrasound endoscope, the same signal is applied in each sound ray direction, and an ultrasonic image of an annular shape is observed in order to observe the same depth in each sound ray direction around the ultrasonic transducer. Can be obtained. Furthermore, in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial ultrasonic endoscope, an operator inputs a scroll operation on the obtained ultrasonic image, and an image of a desired region of the annular ultrasonic image is obtained. A technique for displaying is known.

  In addition, in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial type ultrasonic endoscope, a technique for applying a different signal for each sound ray direction is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for improving the frame rate of an ultrasound image by changing the depth observed by the ultrasound endoscope for each sound ray direction.

JP 2014-132949 A

  By the way, when the surgeon observes a deeper part by the scroll operation described above, the surgeon needs to manually change the depth observed by the ultrasonic endoscope, which places a burden on the surgeon. . Furthermore, if a region with a shallow depth is observed while the depth is set deep, the frame rate of the ultrasonic image is lowered before the setting is changed. However, changing the depth setting every time the site to be observed is changed is a heavy burden on the operator.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial ultrasonic endoscope, a frame rate when an operator performs an operation of displaying an image of a desired region. It is an object to provide an ultrasonic observation apparatus, an operation method of the ultrasonic observation apparatus, an operation program for the ultrasonic observation apparatus, and an ultrasonic observation system that can suppress the decrease in the surgeon and reduce the burden on the operator. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention transmits ultrasonic waves radially along a plurality of sound ray directions to an observation target, and the observation target An image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal received by a radial ultrasonic transducer that receives the reflected ultrasonic wave, and a signal based on an input operation of a rendering area for the ultrasonic image An input unit to be received, a drawing region setting unit for setting the drawing region according to the signal received by the input unit, and a contour line of the drawing region set by the drawing region setting unit and the image generation unit are generated A distance calculation unit that calculates a distance in a predetermined radial direction centered on the transducer position, which is a distance from the transducer position that is the position of the ultrasound transducer on the ultrasound image; Calculation unit On the basis of the calculated distance, characterized by comprising a control unit for controlling the driving of the ultrasonic vibrator.

  Further, in the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the distance calculation unit is configured to change the contour line of the rendering area set by the rendering area setting unit and the sound source direction for each of the sound ray directions. The distance is calculated.

  Further, in the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the distance calculation unit divides the drawing region set by the drawing region setting unit into a plurality of regions, and represents the divided regions. In the radial direction, a distance between the contour line and the transducer position is calculated.

  Further, in the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the distance calculation unit sets the rendering area set by the rendering area setting unit to a predetermined center angle that is equal to each other with the transducer position as a center. It is divided into a plurality of divided regions, and the distance between the contour line and the transducer position is calculated in the radial direction represented for each divided region.

  Further, in the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit changes a pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit. It is characterized by doing.

  In the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit increases the pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer as the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit is smaller. It controls to do.

  In the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may change the frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit. Features.

  In the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit increases the frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer as the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit is smaller. It is characterized by.

  The ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the input operation is a scroll operation for scrolling the drawing area.

  The ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the ultrasonic transducer transmits the ultrasonic waves simultaneously in two opposite directions via the center of the ultrasonic transducer.

  In the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, the control unit outputs a data signal of the ultrasonic image corresponding to the drawing area set by the drawing area setting unit to a display device. Features.

  An operation method of an ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an operation method of an ultrasonic observation apparatus that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal, and the image generation unit radiates toward an observation target. Generating an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal received by a radial ultrasonic transducer that transmits the ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by the observation target; and an input unit; An input step for receiving a signal based on an input operation of a desired rendering area for the ultrasonic image, and a rendering image setting step for the rendering area setting unit to set the rendering area in accordance with the signal received by the input unit; The distance calculation unit is a transducer position which is a contour line of the rendering region set by the rendering region setting unit and a position of the ultrasound transducer on the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit. A distance calculating step for calculating a radial distance around the transducer position, and a control unit for controlling the driving of the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculating unit. It is characterized by including these.

  An operation program for an ultrasonic observation apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an operation program for an ultrasonic observation apparatus that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal, and the image generation unit radiates toward an observation target. An image generation procedure for generating an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal received by a radial ultrasonic transducer that transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by the observation target, and an input unit An input procedure for receiving a signal based on an input operation of a desired rendering area with respect to the ultrasonic image, and a rendering image setting procedure in which a rendering area setting unit sets the rendering area according to the signal received by the input unit; The distance calculation unit is a transducer position which is a contour line of the rendering region set by the rendering region setting unit and a position of the ultrasound transducer on the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit. A distance calculation procedure for calculating a radial distance around the transducer position, and a control procedure for controlling the driving of the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit Are executed by the ultrasonic observation apparatus.

  An ultrasonic observation system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a radial ultrasonic transducer that transmits ultrasonic waves radially to an observation target and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the observation target; and the ultrasonic wave An image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal received by the transducer, a display device that displays the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit, and a desired rendering area for the ultrasonic image An input unit that receives a signal based on an input operation; a drawing region setting unit that sets the drawing region according to the signal received by the input unit; and a contour line of the drawing region that is set by the drawing region setting unit; A distance calculation unit that calculates a radial distance around the transducer position with respect to a transducer position that is a position of the ultrasonic transducer on the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit; And a control section for controlling the drive of the ultrasonic transducers on the basis of the distance detection section is calculated, and further comprising a.

  The ultrasonic observation system according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a contour line of the drawing region and a contour of a screen of the display device coincide with each other.

  According to the present invention, in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial type ultrasonic endoscope, when an operator performs an operation of displaying an image of a desired region, a decrease in frame rate is suppressed, and the operator An ultrasonic observation apparatus, an operation method of the ultrasonic observation apparatus, an operation program of the ultrasonic observation apparatus, and an ultrasonic observation system can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic observation system provided with an ultrasonic observation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing performed by the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an ultrasonic transducer observation method in an initial setting state. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state where the drawing area is changed. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a distance calculation method in the ultrasonic observation system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the distance calculation step in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic observation system including the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to the first modification of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a distance calculation method in the ultrasonic observation system according to the first modification of the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of a distance calculation step according to the first modification of the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic observation system including an ultrasonic observation apparatus according to Modification 2 of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a distance calculation method in the ultrasonic observation system according to the second modification of the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of a distance calculation step according to the second modification of the embodiment.

  Embodiments of an ultrasonic observation apparatus, an ultrasonic observation apparatus operating method, an ultrasonic observation apparatus operation program, and an ultrasonic observation system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be generally applied to an ultrasonic observation apparatus using a radial ultrasonic endoscope, an operation method of the ultrasonic observation apparatus, an operation program of the ultrasonic observation apparatus, and an ultrasonic observation system.

  In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the dimensions of each element, the ratio of each element, and the like may differ from the actual situation. Even between the drawings, there are cases in which portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic observation system provided with an ultrasonic observation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic observation system 1 transmits an ultrasonic wave to a subject to be observed, receives an ultrasonic wave reflected by the subject, and an ultrasonic wave acquired by the ultrasonic endoscope 2. An ultrasonic observation device 3 that generates an ultrasonic image based on a sound wave signal, and a display device 4 that displays the ultrasonic image generated by the ultrasonic observation device 3 are provided.

  The ultrasonic endoscope 2 converts an electrical pulse signal received from the ultrasonic observation device 3 into an ultrasonic pulse (acoustic pulse) at the tip of the ultrasonic endoscope 2 and irradiates the observation target of the subject. And an ultrasonic transducer 21 that converts the ultrasonic echo reflected by 1 into an electrical echo signal (ultrasonic signal) expressed by a voltage change and outputs the electrical echo signal. The ultrasonic vibrator 21 is realized by a radial vibrator that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves radially along a plurality of sound ray directions. The ultrasonic endoscope 2 may be one that mechanically scans the ultrasonic transducer 21, or a plurality of elements are provided in an array as the ultrasonic transducer 21, and the elements involved in transmission and reception are electronically arranged. Electronic scanning may be performed by switching or delaying transmission / reception of each element.

  The ultrasonic endoscope 2 usually has an imaging optical system and an imaging device, and is inserted into the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, duodenum, large intestine) or respiratory organ (trachea / bronchi) of the subject for digestion. Images of ducts, respiratory organs and surrounding organs (pancreas, gallbladder, bile duct, biliary tract, lymph node, mediastinal organ, blood vessel, etc.) can be imaged. The ultrasonic endoscope 2 has a light guide that guides illumination light to be irradiated onto the subject during imaging. The light guide has a distal end portion that reaches the distal end of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope 2 into the subject, and a proximal end portion that is connected to a light source device that generates illumination light.

  The ultrasound observation apparatus 3 includes a transmission / reception unit 31, a signal processing unit 32, an image generation unit 33, a frame memory 34, a drawing area setting unit 35, a distance calculation unit 36, an input unit 37, and a control unit 38. And a storage unit 39.

  The transmission / reception unit 31 is electrically connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 2 and transmits a transmission signal (pulse signal) including a high voltage pulse to the ultrasonic transducer 21 based on a predetermined waveform and transmission timing. An echo signal, which is an electrical reception signal, is received from the sonic transducer 21 to generate and output digital radio frequency (RF) signal data (hereinafter referred to as RF data).

  The frequency band of the pulse signal transmitted by the transmission / reception unit 31 may be a wide band that substantially covers the linear response frequency band of the electroacoustic conversion of the pulse signal to the ultrasonic pulse in the ultrasonic transducer 21.

  The transmission / reception unit 31 transmits various control signals output from the control unit 38 to the ultrasonic endoscope 2, and receives various types of information including an identification ID from the ultrasonic endoscope 2 to receive the control unit 38. It also has a function to transmit to.

  The signal processing unit 32 generates digital B-mode reception data based on the RF data received from the transmission / reception unit 31. Specifically, the signal processing unit 32 performs known processing such as a bandpass filter, envelope detection, and logarithmic conversion on the RF data to generate digital B-mode reception data. In logarithmic conversion, the common logarithm of the amount obtained by dividing RF data by the reference voltage Vc is taken and expressed in decibel values. The signal processing unit 32 outputs the generated B-mode reception data for one frame to the image generation unit 33. The signal processing unit 32 is realized using a CPU (Central Processing Unit), various arithmetic circuits, and the like.

  The image generation unit 33 generates image data based on the RF data received from the transmission / reception unit 31. The image generation unit 33 performs signal processing using known techniques such as scan converter processing, gain processing, contrast processing, and the like on the B-mode reception data stored in the frame memory 34, and in the display device 4. B-mode image data is generated by thinning out data according to the data step width determined according to the display range of the image. In the scan converter process, the scan direction of the B-mode reception data is converted from the ultrasonic scan direction to the display direction of the display device 4. The B-mode image is a grayscale image in which values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), which are variables when the RGB color system is adopted as a color space, are matched. In the initial setting, the image generated by the image generation unit 33 is larger than the display area that can be displayed by the display device 4. In other words, the B mode image displayed on the display device 4 is a part of the B mode image generated by the image generation unit 33.

  The image generation unit 33 performs coordinate conversion on the B-mode reception data from the signal processing unit 32 so that the scan range can be spatially represented correctly, and then performs interpolation processing between the B-mode reception data. The gap between the B mode reception data is filled, and B mode image data is generated.

  The frame memory 34 is realized by using, for example, a ring buffer, and stores one frame of B-mode reception data generated by the signal processing unit 32 in time series. The frame memory 34 may store B-mode reception data of a plurality of frames in time series. In this case, when the capacity is insufficient (when the B-mode reception data of a predetermined number of frames is stored), the frame memory 34 overwrites the oldest B-mode reception data with the latest B-mode reception data, so that the latest A predetermined number of frames of B-mode reception data are stored in chronological order.

  The drawing area setting unit 35 sets a drawing area according to the input operation received by the input unit 37. The input operation is, for example, a scroll operation, and the drawing area setting unit 35 updates the setting of the drawing area every time the scroll operation is input. Note that “scrolling” in the present embodiment is an operation of sliding a two-dimensional B-mode image on the two-dimensional plane. The input operation may be an operation for directly setting a predetermined area as a drawing area when a predetermined button is pressed, and is not limited to a scroll operation. Further, the input operation may include an operation for enlarging or reducing the ultrasonic image.

  The distance calculation unit 36 is a distance between the contour line of the drawing area set by the drawing area setting unit 35 and the transducer position that is the position of the ultrasonic transducer 21 on the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit 33. Thus, a predetermined radial distance about the transducer position is calculated. The distance calculation unit 36 includes a sound ray number calculation unit 36a and a sound ray distance calculation unit 36b. The sound ray number calculation unit 36a calculates the number of sound rays that is the number in the sound ray direction. The sound ray distance calculation unit 36b performs the same number of operations as the calculated number of sound rays, and calculates the sound ray distance that is the distance between the contour line of the rendering region and the transducer position in each sound ray direction.

  The input unit 37 receives a signal based on an input operation to a user interface such as a keyboard, a button, a mouse, a trackball, and a touch panel. The input unit 37 receives an input operation or the like of a desired drawing area with respect to the ultrasonic image. Further, the input unit 37 may accept a signal based on an input operation to a scroll button for performing a scroll operation.

  The control unit 38 controls the entire ultrasound observation system 1. The control unit 38 is realized using a CPU having arithmetic and control functions, various arithmetic circuits, and the like. The control unit 38 controls the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3 in an integrated manner by reading information stored and stored in the storage unit 39 from the storage unit 39 and executing various arithmetic processes related to the operation method of the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3. To do. Further, the control unit 38 controls the driving of the ultrasonic transducer 21 based on the sound ray distance that is the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36. Further, the control unit 38 outputs the data signal of the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit 33 to the display device 4. At this time, it is preferable that the contour line of the drawing area matches the contour of the screen of the display device 4. Since the drawing area matches the image displayed on the display device 4, the operator can perform a scrolling operation while visually recognizing the drawing area, so that the operability of the operator is improved. Note that the control unit 38 may be configured using a CPU or the like common to the signal processing unit 32, the image generation unit 33, the drawing area setting unit 35, and the distance calculation unit 36.

  The storage unit 39 stores various programs for operating the ultrasound observation system 1, data including various parameters necessary for the operation of the ultrasound observation system 1, and the like. The storage unit 39 stores, for example, a correspondence relationship between the depth observed by the ultrasonic transducer 21 and the pulse repetition frequency transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 21 in each sound ray direction.

  In addition, the storage unit 39 stores various programs including an operation program for executing the operation method of the ultrasound observation system 1. The operation program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flash memory, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a flexible disk and widely distributed. The various programs described above can also be obtained by downloading via a communication network. The communication network here is realized by, for example, an existing public line network, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like, regardless of wired or wireless.

  The storage unit 39 having the above configuration is realized by using a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various programs and the like are installed in advance, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores calculation parameters and data of each process. .

  The display device 4 receives and displays the data signal of the ultrasonic image generated by the ultrasonic observation device 3 via the video cable. The display device 4 is configured using a monitor such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence).

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing performed by the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3 performs initial setting for controlling the ultrasonic transducer 21 (step S101). Specifically, the control unit 38 reads information used for initial setting from the storage unit 39. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an ultrasonic transducer observation method in an initial setting state. At the tip of the ultrasonic transducer 21, ns sound rays are arranged, and the number of sound rays is ns. In the initial setting state, the control unit 38 performs settings for the ultrasonic transducer 21 to observe up to a predetermined depth in each sound ray direction. That is, the range that the ultrasonic transducer 21 observes in the initial setting is the observation range O ₁ in FIG. 3, and the distances L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ ... L _ns−1 , L _ns have the same length. is there. This observation is depth, as shown in FIG. 3, to include a region A ₁ is at least rendered region is set based on the information read from the storage unit 39. The depth may be configured to be changeable when the input unit 37 receives a predetermined input operation.

  Here, the control unit 38 determines whether or not the input unit 37 has accepted, for example, a scroll operation as an input operation (region setting input) for setting a drawing region for the displayed B-mode image (step S102, Input step). Here, the control part 38 transfers to step S103, when the input part 37 has not received the input of the scroll operation with respect to the B mode image currently displayed (step S102: No).

Subsequently, the control unit 38 transmits a control signal to the transmission / reception unit 31 according to the setting. The transmission / reception unit 31 transmits a pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer 21 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 38 (step S103, control step). Here, when the input of the scroll operation has not been received yet (step S102: No), since it is in the initial setting state, the ultrasonic transducer 21 outputs the control unit 38 to observe the initial setting depth. Based on the control signal, the observation range O ₁ in FIG. 3 is observed.

Thereafter, the transmission / reception unit 31 receives an echo signal as a measurement result of the observation target by the ultrasonic transducer 21. Further, when an echo signal is received from the ultrasonic transducer 21, the signal processing unit 32 and the image generation unit 33 generate B-mode image data (step S104, image generation step). Because here is the initial setting, the image data corresponding to the area A ₁ in FIG. 3 is generated.

Further, the control unit 38 outputs the data signal of the ultrasonic image generated by the signal processing unit 32 and the image generation unit 33 to the display device 4 (step S105). As a result, the display device 4, ultrasonic images corresponding to the area A ₁ in FIG. 3 is displayed.

  And the control part 38 judges whether the input part 37 received the instruction | indication completion | finish instruction | indication of test | inspection (step S106). If the control unit 38 determines that the input unit 37 has received an instruction to end the inspection (step S106: Yes), the control unit 38 ends the control. On the other hand, when the control unit 38 determines that the input unit 37 has not received an instruction to end the examination (step S106: No), the control unit 38 proceeds to step S102 and repeats the drive control of the ultrasonic transducer 21.

  Here, a case where the control unit 38 determines in step S102 that a scroll operation for the B-mode image displayed on the input unit 37 has been input (step S102: Yes) will be described.

First, until the scrolling operation is input, the control unit 38 is repeatedly drive control of the ultrasonic transducer 21 by the initial setting, the display device 4, ultrasonic waves corresponding to the area A ₁ in FIG. 3 An image is displayed. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state where the drawing area is changed. As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the surgeon inputs a scroll operation for changing the image displayed on the display device 4 from the area A ₁ to the area A ₂ to the input unit 37. Then, the control unit 38 determines that a scroll operation for the B-mode image displayed on the input unit 37 has been input (step S102: Yes), and proceeds to step S107.

Subsequently, the control unit 38 performs control to set the rendering area setting unit 35 a region A ₂ as rendered region (step S107, rendering image setting step). FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a distance calculation method in the ultrasonic observation system according to the embodiment. The area A _{2 in} FIG. 5 is set as a drawing area by the drawing area setting unit 35.

  Thereafter, the control unit 38 causes the distance calculation unit 36 to connect the contour line of the rendering area in each sound ray direction and the transducer position 21a that is the position of the ultrasonic transducer 21 on the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit 33. Control to calculate the distance is performed (step S108, distance calculation step).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the distance calculation step in the flowchart of FIG. First, the control unit 38 performs control to cause the sound ray number calculation unit 36a to calculate the sound ray number ns that is the number in the sound ray direction (step S108a).

  Subsequently, the control unit 38 sets i = 1 as a variable i used for calculation by the sound ray distance calculation unit 36b (step S108b). This variable i corresponds to the sound ray distance in which sound ray direction is calculated.

After that, the control unit 38 causes the sound ray distance calculation unit 36b to calculate the distance between the contour line of the drawing area in the i-th sound ray direction and the transducer position 21a (step S108c). Here, since i = 1, the first sound ray distance Ls ₁ shown in FIG. 5 is calculated.

  Here, the control unit 38 replaces the variable i of the sound ray distance calculation unit 36b with i = i + 1 (step S108d).

Further, the control unit 38 determines whether or not the condition i> ns is satisfied (step 108e). If the condition is not satisfied in this determination (step S108e: No), the sound ray distance calculation unit 36b repeats the calculation of the i-th sound ray distance. When the condition i> ns is satisfied in step S108e (step S108e: Yes), the sound ray distance calculation unit 36b transmits the calculated sound ray distances to the control unit 38. Then, this subroutine ends. Accordingly, the step of calculating the i-th sound ray distance is repeated ns times, and the sound ray distances Ls ₁ , Ls ₂ , Ls ₃ ... Ls _ns−1 , Ls _{ns shown} in FIG.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 2, the control unit 38 transmits a control signal to the transmission / reception unit 31 in accordance with the setting (here, the sound ray distances calculated by the distance calculation unit 36). The transmission / reception unit 31 transmits a pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer 21 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 38 (step S103, control step).

Here, the control unit 38 performs control so that the depth observed by the ultrasonic transducer 21 in each sound ray direction matches the calculated sound ray distance in each sound ray direction. That is, the ultrasonic transducer 21 observes the region corresponding to the region A ₂ in FIG. Specifically, the control unit 38 changes the pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave that the ultrasonic transducer 21 transmits in each sound ray direction based on the sound ray distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36. When the pulse repetition frequency is high, the ultrasonic transducer 21 can only observe a position at a shallow depth, but when the pulse repetition frequency is low, the ultrasonic transducer 21 can be observed at a deeper position. For this reason, the control unit 38 performs control so that the pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 21 in each sound ray direction increases as the sound ray distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36 decreases.

Subsequently, the transmission / reception unit 31 receives an echo signal from the ultrasonic transducer 21, and the signal processing unit 32 and the image generation unit 33 generate B-mode image data (step S104, image generation step). Here the image data corresponding to the area A ₂ in FIG. 5 is generated.

  As described above, in the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3, a region to be observed by the ultrasonic transducer 21 is automatically set according to the scroll operation. Therefore, the surgeon does not need to manually change the depth setting for observation even when observing a deeper part by scrolling. Furthermore, since the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3 is configured to observe only a necessary depth in each sound ray direction, the frame rate of the ultrasonic image is lower than that in the case of observing a uniform depth in each sound ray direction. Can be suppressed.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3 is an operation in which an operator displays an image of a desired region in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial type ultrasonic endoscope. This is an ultrasonic observation apparatus that can suppress a decrease in the frame rate and reduce the burden on the operator when performing the operation.

(Modification 1)
Next, an ultrasonic observation system according to Modification 1 of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic observation system including the ultrasonic observation apparatus according to the first modification of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the ultrasound observation system 1A according to the first modification has the same configuration as the ultrasound observation system 1 of the embodiment, except for the configuration of the distance calculation unit 36A of the ultrasound observation apparatus 3A. Therefore, explanation is omitted as appropriate.

The distance calculation unit 36A includes a region number calculation unit 36Aa and a region representative distance calculation unit 36Ab. The number-of-regions calculation unit 36Aa divides the drawing region into a plurality of regions recorded in advance in the storage unit or a plurality of regions input to the input unit 37 by the operator. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a distance calculation method in the ultrasonic observation system according to the first modification of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the area number calculating section 36Aa divides the area _{A 2} is rendered region nf number of regions _{F 1, F 2, F 3} ··· F nf-1, F nf. The number-of-regions calculation unit 36Aa calculates the number of regions nf that is the number of divided regions. The area representative distance calculation unit 36Ab performs the same number of calculation processes as the number of calculated areas, and calculates an area representative distance that is a radial distance representing each area.

  Next, processing performed by the ultrasound observation apparatus 3A will be described. The processing performed by the ultrasound observation apparatus 3A is the same as that in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, but the processing in the subroutine of the distance calculation step (step S108) is different. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of a distance calculation step according to the first modification of the embodiment. In the distance calculating step (step S108A), first, the control unit 38 causes the region number calculating unit 36Aa to calculate the number of regions nf (step S108Aa).

  Subsequently, the control unit 38 sets a variable i used for calculation by the region representative distance calculation unit 36Ab as i = 1 (step S108Ab).

  Thereafter, the control unit 38 causes the region representative distance calculation unit 36Ab to calculate a region representative distance representing the i-th region (step S108Ac).

  Here, the control unit 38 replaces the variable i of the region representative distance calculation unit 36Ab with i = i + 1 (step S108Ad).

  Further, the control unit 38 determines whether or not the condition i> nf is satisfied (step 108Ae). When the condition is not satisfied in this determination (step S108Ae: No), the region representative distance calculation unit 36Ab repeats the calculation of the region representative distance of the i-th region. In step S108Ae, when the condition i> nf is satisfied (step S108Ae: Yes), the region representative distance calculation unit 36Ab transmits the calculated region representative distance of each region to the control unit 38. Then, this subroutine ends. Therefore, the step of calculating the region representative distance of the i-th region is repeated nf times, and the region representative distances of all regions are calculated.

Here, a method for calculating the region representative distance of each region will be specifically described. First, the region representative distance calculation unit 36Ab determines a representative direction (region representative direction) from the radial direction centered on the transducer position 21a in the region where the region representative distance is calculated. The area representative direction defined way is not particularly limited, as shown in FIG. 8, area representative direction of the region F ₃ may be a direction Wf ₃ bisecting the central angle region F _3. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the representative direction of the region F _3, the area representative distance area F ₃ may be a direction Wf _3a with the maximum. Then, the region representative distance calculating unit 36Ab calculates a region representative distance Lf ₃ or a region representative distance Lf _3a that is a distance between the contour line of the drawing region in the direction Wf ₃ or the direction Wf _3a and the transducer position 21a.

  After that, as in the case of the embodiment, the control unit 38 performs control so that the depth observed by the ultrasonic transducer 21 in each region matches the calculated region representative distance of each region. That is, the control unit 38 changes the pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 21 based on the region representative distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36A. Then, the surgeon does not need to manually change the depth even when observing a deeper part by scrolling. Furthermore, since only the necessary depth is observed for each region, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the frame rate of the ultrasound image compared to the case where a uniform depth is observed in each region.

  As described above, the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3A according to the first modification of the embodiment allows the operator to display an image of a desired region in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial ultrasonic endoscope. This is an ultrasonic observation apparatus that can suppress a decrease in the frame rate and reduce the burden on the operator when performing an operation.

(Modification 2)
Next, an ultrasonic observation system according to Modification 2 of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic observation system including an ultrasonic observation apparatus according to Modification 2 of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the ultrasound observation system 1B according to the second modification has the same configuration as the ultrasound observation system 1 of the embodiment except for the configuration of the distance calculation unit 36B of the ultrasound observation apparatus 3B. Therefore, explanation is omitted as appropriate.

The distance calculation unit 36B includes an angle division unit 36Ba and an angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a distance calculation method in the ultrasonic observation system according to the second modification of the embodiment. Angle division portion 36Ba is an area _{A 2} is rendered region, nd pieces of divided regions _D 1 having a predetermined central angle Δθ each equal around the transducer position _{21a, D 2, D 3 ···} D nd ₋₁ , D _nd . The central angle Δθ is an angle recorded in advance in the storage unit or an angle input to the input unit 37 by the operator. Furthermore, the angle dividing unit 36Ba calculates the number of divided areas (number of divided areas nd). The angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb performs the same number of calculation processes as the calculated number of divided areas, and calculates an angle representative distance that is a radial distance representing each divided area.

  Next, processing performed by the ultrasound observation apparatus 3B will be described. The processing performed by the ultrasound observation apparatus 3B is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, but the processing in the subroutine of the distance calculation step (step S108) is different. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of a distance calculation step according to the second modification of the embodiment. In the distance calculating step (step S108B), first, the control unit 38 causes the angle dividing unit 36Ba to calculate the number of divided regions (step S108Ba).

  Subsequently, the control unit 38 sets a variable i used for calculation by the angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb as i = 1 (step S108Bb).

  Thereafter, the control unit 38 causes the angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb to calculate the angle representative distance representing the i-th divided region (step S108Bc).

  Here, the control unit 38 replaces the variable i of the angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb with i = i + 1 (step S108Bd).

  Further, the control unit 38 determines whether or not the condition i> nd is satisfied (step 108Be). If the condition is not satisfied in this determination (step S108Be: No), the angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb repeats the calculation of the angle representative distance of the i-th divided region. When the condition i> nd is satisfied in step S108Be (step S108Be: Yes), the angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb transmits the calculated angle representative distance of each divided region to the control unit 38. Then, this subroutine ends. Accordingly, the step of calculating the angle representative distance of the i-th divided area is repeated nd times, and the angle representative distances of all the divided areas are calculated.

Here, the calculation method of the angle representative distance of each divided region will be specifically described. First, the angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb determines one direction (angle representative direction) that is a representative of the radial direction centered on the transducer position 21a in the divided region for calculating the angle representative distance. This angle representative direction defined way is not particularly limited, as shown in FIG. 11, the angle representative direction in the divided regions D ₄ is met direction Wd ₄ along the boundary between the divided regions D ₅ of the divided regions D ₄ It's okay. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the angle representative direction in the divided region D _4, the angle representative distance divided areas D ₄ may be a direction Wd _4a having the maximum. Then, the angle representative distance calculation unit 36Bb calculates the angle representative distance Ld ₄ or the angle representative distance Ld _4a that is the distance between the contour line of the drawing region in the direction Wd ₄ or the direction Wd _4a and the transducer position 21a.

  Thereafter, as in the case of the embodiment, the control unit 38 performs control so that the depth observed by the ultrasonic transducer 21 in each divided region matches the calculated angle representative distance of each divided region. That is, the control unit 38 changes the pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 21 based on the angle representative distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36B. Then, the surgeon does not need to manually change the depth even when observing a deeper part by scrolling. Furthermore, since only the necessary depth is observed for each divided region, a decrease in the frame rate of the ultrasonic image can be suppressed as compared with the case where a uniform depth is observed in each divided region.

  As described above, the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3B according to the second modification of the embodiment allows an operator to display an image of a desired region in an ultrasonic observation system using a radial ultrasonic endoscope. This is an ultrasonic observation apparatus that can suppress a decrease in the frame rate and reduce the burden on the operator when performing an operation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the control unit 38 changes the pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 21 based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36 has been described. Absent. The control unit 38 may be configured to change the frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 21 based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36. An ultrasonic image with higher resolution can be obtained as the frequency of ultrasonic waves to be transmitted is higher, but the higher the frequency, the more susceptible to attenuation. Therefore, based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36, the control unit 38 performs control to increase the frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer as the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36 is smaller. An ultrasonic image with high resolution can be obtained within a range not affected by attenuation.

  Further, the control unit 38 may perform control so that the ultrasonic transducer 21 transmits ultrasonic waves only in the sound ray direction in which the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 36 is larger than a predetermined value. By this control, only the part required by the operator can be displayed on the display device 4, and the frame rate of the ultrasonic image can be further improved.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated on the premise of the structure which transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave one by one in order to each sound ray direction, it is not restricted to this. The ultrasonic transducer 21 may be configured to perform dual transmission in which ultrasonic waves are transmitted simultaneously in any two acoustic ray directions under the control of the control unit 38. When these two directions are on the opposite side via the ultrasonic transducer 21, noise due to interference between the ultrasonic waves can be reduced. Further, when these two directions are opposite to each other via the center of the ultrasonic transducer 21, noise does not occur in the ultrasonic image due to mutual interference of the ultrasonic waves. By performing dual transmission, the frame rate of the ultrasonic image can be further improved.

  Further, the present invention is not limited by the above embodiment. What was comprised combining each component mentioned above suitably is also contained in this invention. Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A, 1B Ultrasonic observation system 2 Ultrasound endoscope 3, 3A, 3B Ultrasonic observation apparatus 4 Display apparatus 21 Ultrasonic transducer 21a Transducer position 31 Transmission / reception part 32 Signal processing part 33 Image generation part 34 Frame memory 35 Drawing region setting unit 36, 36A, 36B Distance calculating unit 36a Sound ray number calculating unit 36Aa Region number calculating unit 36Ab Region representative distance calculating unit 36b Sound ray distance calculating unit 36Ba Angle dividing unit 36Bb Angle representative distance calculating unit 37 Input unit 38 control unit 39 storage unit A _{1, A 2} region _{D 1, D 2, D 3} , D 4, D 5, D nd-1, D nd divided regions _{F 1, F 2, F 3} , F nf-1, F _nf region O ₁ observation range L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ , L _ns-1 , L _ns distance Ls ₁ , Ls ₂ , Ls ₃ , Ls _ns-1 , Ls _ns acoustic ray distance Ld ₄ , Ld _4a angle representative distance Lf ₃ , Lf _3a region representative distance Wd ₄ , Wd _4a , Wf ₃ , Wf _3a direction

Claims (15)

Ultrasound based on ultrasonic signals received by a radial ultrasonic transducer that transmits ultrasonic waves radially along the sound ray direction to the observation target and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the observation target An image generation unit for generating an image;
An input unit for receiving a signal based on an input operation of a drawing area for the ultrasonic image;
A drawing area setting unit that sets the drawing area according to the signal received by the input unit;
A distance between an outline of the drawing area set by the drawing area setting unit and a transducer position which is a position of the ultrasonic transducer on the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit, and the vibration A distance calculator that calculates a predetermined radial distance centered on the child position;
A control unit that controls driving of the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit;
An ultrasonic observation apparatus comprising:   2. The distance calculation unit according to claim 1, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates a distance in the sound ray direction between the contour line of the drawing region set by the drawing region setting unit and the transducer position. Ultrasound observation device.   The distance calculation unit divides the drawing region set by the drawing region setting unit into a plurality of regions, and a distance between the contour line and the transducer position in the radial direction represented for each of the divided regions. The ultrasonic observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The distance calculating unit divides the drawing region set by the drawing region setting unit into a plurality of divided regions each having an equal predetermined central angle with the transducer position as a center, and representative for each divided region. The ultrasonic observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the contour line and the transducer position is calculated in the radial direction.   The said control part changes the pulse repetition frequency of the said ultrasonic wave which the said ultrasonic transducer | transmission transmits based on the said distance which the said distance calculation part calculated. The ultrasonic observation apparatus described in 1.   6. The control unit according to claim 5, wherein the control unit performs control so as to increase a pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer as the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit is smaller. Ultrasonic observation equipment.   The said control part changes the frequency of the said ultrasonic wave which the said ultrasonic transducer | transmission transmits based on the said distance which the said distance calculation part calculated, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Ultrasonic observation equipment.   The ultrasonic observation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit increases the frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer as the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit is smaller.   The ultrasonic observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input operation is a scroll operation for scrolling the drawing area.   The ultrasonic observation according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transducer transmits the ultrasonic waves simultaneously in two directions facing each other through a center of the ultrasonic transducer. apparatus.   The said control part outputs the data signal of the said ultrasonic image corresponding to the said drawing area | region set by the said drawing area | region setting part to a display apparatus, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Ultrasonic observation equipment. An operation method of an ultrasonic observation apparatus that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal,
An image generator generates ultrasonic images based on ultrasonic signals received by a radial ultrasonic transducer that transmits ultrasonic waves radially to the observation target and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the observation target. An image generation step,
An input step for receiving a signal based on an input operation of a desired rendering region with respect to the ultrasonic image;
A rendering image setting step in which a rendering area setting unit sets the rendering area according to the signal received by the input unit;
The vibration between the contour line of the drawing area set by the drawing area setting unit and the transducer position which is the position of the ultrasonic transducer on the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit by the distance calculation unit A distance calculating step for calculating a radial distance around the child position;
A control unit that controls driving of the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit;
A method for operating an ultrasonic observation apparatus, comprising: An operation program for an ultrasonic observation apparatus that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal,
An image generator generates ultrasonic images based on ultrasonic signals received by a radial ultrasonic transducer that transmits ultrasonic waves radially to the observation target and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the observation target. Image generation procedure to
An input procedure in which an input unit receives a signal based on an input operation of a desired rendering region for the ultrasonic image;
A drawing image setting procedure in which a drawing area setting unit sets the drawing area according to the signal received by the input unit;
The vibration between the contour line of the drawing area set by the drawing area setting unit and the transducer position which is the position of the ultrasonic transducer on the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit by the distance calculation unit A distance calculation procedure for calculating a radial distance around the child position;
A control procedure for controlling the driving of the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculator;
Is executed by the ultrasonic observation apparatus. A program for operating the ultrasonic observation apparatus. A radial ultrasonic transducer for transmitting ultrasonic waves radially to an observation target and receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by the observation target;
An image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic signal received by the ultrasonic transducer;
A display device for displaying the ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit;
An input unit that receives a signal based on an input operation of a desired rendering region for the ultrasonic image;
A drawing area setting unit that sets the drawing area according to the signal received by the input unit;
Centering on the transducer position between the contour line of the rendering region set by the rendering region setting unit and the transducer position which is the position of the ultrasonic transducer on the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit A distance calculating unit for calculating a radial distance to be
A control unit that controls driving of the ultrasonic transducer based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit;
An ultrasonic observation system comprising:   The ultrasonic observation system according to claim 14, wherein a contour line of the drawing area matches a contour of a screen of the display device.

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