TW202300911A - Array ultrasonic video device and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are an array ultrasonic imaging device with little image deviation, and a control method therefor. The array ultrasonic imaging device: performs a plane scan by a scanning operation, in which an ultrasonic array probe including a plurality of oscillators that are lineally juxtaposed is reciprocally moved in a direction perpendicular to a juxtaposition direction of the oscillators while performing an electron scan by emitting an ultrasonic beam in a predetermined scanning order on a subject, and a shifting operation, in which the ultrasonic array probe is moved parallel to the juxtaposition direction of the oscillators; emits an ultrasonic beam on a surface or a lamination interface of the subject; and displays a signal strength of an ultrasonic reflection wave from the subject. The electron scan is performed by selecting the plurality of oscillators and emitting the ultrasonic beam such that the ultrasonic beam is emitted on an emission point at one end of the electron scan and then on an opposing emission point at another end thereof, to achieve a scanning order in which the ultrasonic beam is emitted alternately in order from each end toward the center, one at a time.

Description

Array type ultrasonic imaging device and control method thereof

The invention relates to an array type ultrasonic imaging device and a control method thereof.

There is an ultrasonic imaging device that irradiates an object such as a semiconductor with ultrasonic waves, generates image information inside the object based on the reflected waves, and detects defects inside the object. According to this ultrasonic imaging device, a non-destructive high-resolution inspection can be performed, and the reliability of electronic components can be ensured.

As one form of the ultrasonic imaging device, there is an ultrasonic imaging device having a single probe composed of a single vibrator. In the ultrasonic imaging device with the single probe, the single probe is mechanically scanned in the X direction/Y direction of a specific area on the surface of the subject or the layered interface, and the subject is irradiated with ultrasonic waves and Detection of reflected waves.

In order to shorten the operation time of the ultrasonic imaging device, it is necessary to increase the scanning speed of the single probe. However, in an ultrasonic imaging device in which the subject and a single probe are immersed in water, if the scanning speed of the single probe is increased, there will be a problem of image degradation caused by air bubbles or ripples.

Therefore, for example, there is an ultrasonic inspection device that has an array ultrasonic sensor with a plurality of piezoelectric vibrating elements, and conducts electronic scanning in the direction of the array arrangement, and then conducts scanning in the normal direction of the array arrangement. Scanning is performed mechanically to generate an inspection image using reflected signals from inside the inspection object (refer to Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-263780

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

According to the above-mentioned prior art, since the scanning speed of the probe can be reduced, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of phenomena such as entrained air bubbles or moiré that cause image degradation. However, when the reciprocating mechanical scanning of the array ultrasonic probe is performed to generate a large-scale reflected wave image of the subject, at the end of the mechanical scanning, that is, at the position where the forward path and the return path of the mechanical scanning are switched, etc. , Sometimes there will be deviations in the image of the ultrasonic reflected wave. In Patent Document 1, there is no description of reciprocating mechanical scanning of the array type ultrasonic probe, and this problem is not considered.

The object of the present invention is to provide an array type ultrasonic imaging device which has less image deviation in the array type ultrasonic imaging device which makes the array type ultrasonic probe perform reciprocating scanning to generate the reflected wave image of the subject and its control method. [Technical means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the array type ultrasonic imaging device of the present invention reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the above-mentioned vibrators while performing electronic scanning of irradiating the subject with ultrasonic beams in a specific scanning order. The scanning action of movement and the displacement action of moving the ultrasonic array probe parallel to the arrangement direction of the above-mentioned vibrators make the ultrasonic array probe with a plurality of vibrators arranged in a straight line perform plane scanning, and scan the surface of the object Or irradiate the ultrasonic beam on the boundary surface of the laminate to display the signal strength of the ultrasonic reflected wave from the subject, and irradiate the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point at one end of the electronic scan, and then irradiate at the irradiation point at the opposite end The ultrasonic beam is selected in such a way that the plurality of vibrators are irradiated with the ultrasonic beam in a scanning sequence in which the ultrasonic beam is alternately and sequentially irradiated from each end portion one by one to the central portion to perform the electronic scanning.

In addition, the control method of the arrayed ultrasonic imaging device of the present invention is to sequentially irradiate the ultrasonic beams of the ultrasonic array probe with a plurality of vibrators arranged in a straight line to the subject for electronic scanning, and display images from the subject above. The method for controlling the signal intensity of the ultrasonic reflected wave of the array type ultrasonic imaging device; and the control method includes: the first step, one side irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point at one end of the electronic scanning, and then irradiates the ultrasonic beam on the opposite side The irradiation point at the other end is irradiated with ultrasonic beams, and the plurality of vibrators are selected in such a way that the scanning order of ultrasonic beams is irradiated alternately from each end to the central part one by one, and the above-mentioned subject is irradiated with ultrasonic beams in a specific scanning order. The sonic beam continuously moves the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe at a specific speed in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the vibrators of the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe; the shifting step is carried out with the scanning width of the above-mentioned electronic scanning. The arrangement direction of the above-mentioned vibrator moves the displacement action of the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe in parallel; and the second step, one side irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point at one end of the electronic scanning, and then irradiates at the opposite end Spot irradiate the ultrasonic beam, and select the plurality of vibrators in such a way that the scanning order of the ultrasonic beam is alternately irradiated from each end to the central part one by one, and the above-mentioned object is irradiated with the ultrasonic beam in a specific scanning order. Continuously moving the ultrasonic array probe at a specific speed in reverse to the above-mentioned first step; and electronically scanning the entire surface of the subject by repeating the above-mentioned first step, the above-mentioned shifting step, and the above-mentioned second step. [Effect of Invention]

According to the present invention, in the array type ultrasonic imaging device that scans the array type ultrasonic probe in a plane to generate an ultrasonic reflection image of the subject, the scanning reciprocation of the array type ultrasonic probe can be suppressed Image deviation of the resulting reflected wave image.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an array type ultrasonic imaging device of an embodiment.

The array type ultrasonic imaging device 1 includes a 3-axis scanner 2 (scanning mechanism), and an ultrasonic array probe (hereinafter referred to as probe 4 ). The 3-axis scanner 2 scans the probe 4 two-dimensionally in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction on the planar subject 8 (planar scanning). Thereby, the array type ultrasonic imaging device 1 can image the planar subject 8 by ultrasonic waves.

The probe 4 is a phased array ultrasonic probe with a plurality of oscillators arranged in short strips. Specifically, by controlling the oscillation timing of each of a plurality of oscillators (vibrator groups) that is part of a plurality of oscillators, an ultrasonic light wave converging beam (ultrasonic beam) is produced, and electronically switched to change the irradiation position and irradiate The ultrasonic beam performs one-dimensional scanning on the subject 8 . In this specification, the scanning of the electronic ultrasonic beam of the phased array ultrasonic probe is referred to as electronic scanning. The reception control of the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam is also performed by controlling the vibrator group.

In addition, the probe 4 can focus ultrasonic waves generated by a single vibrator with an acoustic lens (acoustic lens) to irradiate the subject, and form a plurality of the vibrators into a short strip. Also in this configuration, electronic scanning of the subject 8 is performed by electronically switching the vibrator to change the irradiation position of the ultrasonic beam.

The probe 4 is placed so as to be immersed in the water filled with the water tank 91 , and the front end of the probe 4 faces the subject 8 . The probe 4 is attached to the 3-axis scanner 2 via a holder 24 . The water tank 91 is placed on a table 92 .

The 3-axis scanner 2 detects the scanning position based on the linear position or the rotational position (angular position) detected by a built-in encoder for detecting position change when scanning the probe 4 two-dimensionally. Thereby, the array type ultrasonic imaging device 1 can two-dimensionally image the relationship between each scanning position (scanning point) of the subject 8 and the echo.

The 3-axis scanner 2 includes an X-axis scanner 21 and a Y-axis scanner 22 for scanning the probe 4, a Z-axis scanner 23 for changing the distance between the probe 4 and the subject 8, and a device for holding the probe 4. Holder 24. In addition, the height of the probe 4 is adjusted by the stage 92 before inspection, and the distance between the probe 4 and the object 8 is adjusted by the Z-axis scanner 23 .

The probe 4 is continuously moved at a specific speed by the X-axis scanner 21 of the 3-axis scanner 2 (scan operation), and then, by the Y-axis scanner 22 of the 3-axis scanner 2, the movement of the scanning width of the electronic scanning is performed in parallel with the arrangement direction of the plurality of vibrators (shifting operation).

This holder 24 supports the flange part 42 provided on the upper part of the probe 4, and moves upward smoothly when upward force is applied to the probe 4. As shown in FIG. The sensor 3 is provided on the holder 24, and detects that the probe 4 moves upward.

The control device 10 includes a scanner control unit 11, a sending and receiving instruction unit 12, a timing processing unit 13, a vibrator operation signal generating unit 14, a reflected wave signal processing unit 15, a reflected wave image generating unit 16, and a display unit 17, and performs three-axis Control of the scanner, control of sending and receiving of the probe 4, and display control of echoes from the subject 8.

The scanner control unit 11 drives the X-axis scanner 21 and the Y-axis scanner 22 based on the encoder output built in the X-axis scanner 21 and the Y-axis scanner 22, so that the probe 4 is placed on the subject 8 in a planar manner. Scanning control unit.

The transmission and reception command unit 12 starts electronic scanning of the probe 4 in synchronization with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21 notified from the scanner control unit 11 . That is, the transmission/reception command unit 12 starts electronic scanning in synchronization with the scanning operation of the probe 4 . Therefore, the scanning pitch of the object 8 in the X-axis direction generated by the electronic scanning of the probe 4 is equal to the output pitch of the encoder of the X-axis scanner 21 .

The timing processing unit 13 selects the transducer group of the probe 4 corresponding to the scanning sequence of the ultrasonic beam in the electronic scanning.

The vibrator action signal generation unit 14 generates the vibrator action signal according to the vibrator group and scanning order selected by the timing processing unit 13 , and sends it to the probe 7 at each scanning point. The probe 4 is irradiated with an ultrasonic beam based on the transducer operation signal from the transducer operation signal generator 14 .

The reflected wave signal processing unit 15 receives the signal of the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam from the probe 4 at each scanning point, and sets a gate for gate processing to obtain the displacement (amplitude) of the reflected wave, and based on the displacement Calculate the signal strength.

The reflected wave image generation unit 16 converts, for example, the signal intensity of the reflected wave at each irradiation point calculated by the reflected wave signal processing unit 15 into a gray scale of 0 to 255. The reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam is generated at the boundary between the object 8 and the water of the water tank 91 or the boundary surface of the material inside the object 8, the peeling part, the void part, etc. where the acoustic impedance (density) changes. The reflected wave image generation unit 16 sets the points without the reflected waves of the ultrasonic beam as the grayscale level of 255, and the greater the signal strength of the reflected wave, the smaller the grayscale level.

The display unit 17 displays the signal intensity of the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam obtained by the reflected wave image generating unit 16 as a shaded image of the plane scan of the subject 8 . Specifically, black is displayed when the grayscale is 255, white is displayed when the grayscale is 0, and gray is displayed according to the grayscale when the grayscale is an intermediate value. Therefore, the arrayed ultrasonic imaging device 1 displays the cavity of the subject 8 scanned in a plane (the density difference between it and the surrounding area is relatively large) as a white image.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2 , the operation content of the planar scanning of the probe 4 in the array type ultrasonic imaging device 1 will be described. The probe 4 is composed of, for example, 192 vibrators arranged in a straight line. However, in FIG. 2 , the probe 4 is composed of 7 vibrators a, b, c, d, e, f, and g.

The array ultrasonic imaging device 1 sets the set position of the subject 8 as the origin of scanning (upper left of the scanning area in FIG. 2 ), specifies the size of the scanning area, and performs plane scanning of the probe 4 . First, the three-axis scanner 2 is driven to move the probe 4 so that the start point of electronic scanning of the probe 4 is located at the scanning origin. Specifically, since the electronic scanning is performed during the movement of the probe 4, the probe 4 moves including an approach run so that the moving speed when the probe 4 passes the start point of the electronic scanning becomes a specific value.

At the origin (starting position) of the plane scan, the probe 4 uses the vibrators a, b, c, d, e, f, g to scan electronically, and through the X-axis scanner 21 of the 3-axis scanner 2, the The arrangement direction of the vibrator moves in the vertical direction. And, the probe 4 is synchronized with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21 to perform the next electronic scan. The probe 4 repeats the above actions for the width of the scanning area (the size of the X-axis direction).

As mentioned above, the probe 4 performs continuous movement of the probe 4 in the X-axis direction (scanning action 1), while repeating electronic scanning, and the length in the Y-axis direction is the scanning width of the electronic scan, and the length in the X-axis direction The strip-shaped scanning area whose length is equal to the width of the set scanning area irradiates the ultrasonic beam and detects the reflected wave from the subject 8 .

At this time, the control device 10 sets the reflected wave from the subject 8 detected by one electronic scanning of the probe 4 as the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam at the same position (scanning line) in the X-axis direction, and calculates the frequency of the reflected wave. Signal strength and displayed as a shaded image.

Next, the probe 4 is moved by the scanning width of the electronic scanning in parallel with the arrangement direction of the plurality of transducers by the Y-axis scanner 22 of the 3-axis scanner 2 (shift operation). Then, the probe 4 is moved by the X-axis scanner 21 so that the start point of the electronic scanning of the probe 4 is at the same position in the X-axis direction as the start point of the last electronic scan of the scanning operation 1 described above.

The probe 4 uses the vibrator a, b, c, d, e, f, g to scan electronically, and through the X-axis scanner 21 of the 3-axis scanner 2, it is perpendicular to the vibrator in the opposite direction to the scanning action 1. Move in the direction of the arrangement direction. And, the probe 4 is synchronized with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21 to perform the next electronic scan. The probe 4 repeats the above actions for the width of the scanning area (the size of the X-axis direction).

As mentioned above, the probe 4 performs continuous movement of the probe 4 in the X-axis direction (scanning action 2), while repeating electronic scanning, and the length in the Y-axis direction is the scanning width of the electronic scan, and the length in the X-axis direction The strip-shaped scanning area whose length is equal to the width of the set scanning area irradiates the ultrasonic beam and detects the reflected wave from the subject 8 .

If the control device 10 can cover the specified scanning area through the scanning operation 1 and scanning operation 2 of the probe 4, it will end the plane scanning, but in the case of insufficient, the scanning width of the electronic scanning of the probe 4 Move with the amount of shifting action, and perform the same scanning action 3, shifting action, and scanning action 4 as the previous action at the same time as the electronic scanning. The control device 10 repeats the above-mentioned operations until the designated scanning area is covered, and performs planar scanning of the subject 8 .

In this specification, the scanning operation 1, the scanning operation 3... of the probe 4 are recorded as forward moving scanning operation (the first scanning operation), and the scanning operation 2, scanning operation 4... of the probe 4 are recorded as reverse movement. Moving scanning operation (second scanning operation).

Since the probe 4 continuously moves in the above-mentioned scanning operations 1, 2, 3, and 4, while performing electronic scanning, in detail, due to the irradiation timing of the ultrasonic beam, the difference in the X-axis direction of the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam The position is shifted. Next, the relationship between the irradiation timing of the ultrasonic beam and the irradiation point will be described.

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating irradiation points of ultrasonic beams of the probe 4 of the comparative example. Irradiation points a, b, c, d, e, f, g are the irradiation points of the ultrasonic beams of the electronic scanning of the vibrators a, b, c, d, e, f, g of the probe 4 . In particular, the irradiation point a is the irradiation point corresponding to the origin of the scanning area, and is the irradiation point of the first ultrasonic beam of the electronic scanning synchronized with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21 during the scanning operation.

The electronic scanning of the probe 4 takes place during the continuous movement of the scanning action. The solid line rectangle in FIG. 3A indicates the position of the probe 4 when the ultrasonic beam is first irradiated, and the dotted line rectangle indicates the probe 4 position when the ultrasonic beam is finally irradiated. In the probe 4 of the comparative example, the ultrasonic beam was sequentially irradiated from the irradiation point a to the other end of the probe 4 . Therefore, the irradiation points b, c, d, e, f, and g become positions gradually shifted in the scanning direction.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam in the scanning operation 1 and the scanning operation 2 of the probe 4 in the comparative example. Since the electronic scanning is performed synchronously with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21, the position in the X-axis direction of the irradiation point a of the probe 4 of the comparative example is consistent in scanning operation 1 and scanning operation 2 (for example, Xn coordinates). However, the irradiated points b, c, d, e, f, and g are gradually displaced according to the scanning direction.

Here, the display of the ultrasonic image of the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam irradiated by the probe 4 will be described in detail. FIG. 4A is a graph showing an example of temporal changes in signal intensity in reflected waves processed by the reflected wave signal processing unit 15 . The reflected wave signal processing unit 15 obtains the displacement (amplitude) of the signal intensity of the reflected wave for a specific time period centered on the time corresponding to the specific depth of the subject 8 to be inspected.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating the conversion of the signal intensity of the reflected wave of each irradiation point into a gray scale of 0 to 255 by the reflected wave image generation unit 16 . When the signal strength of the reflected wave is 0 (displacement is 0), it is set as black with a grayscale of 255, and when the signal strength of the reflected wave is at its maximum (maximum displacement), it is set as white with a grayscale of 0, and as the reflected wave The signal strength (displacement) becomes larger, the gray scale (intermediate value) is reduced, and it is set to gray.

Next, an ultrasonic image when electronic scanning is performed by the probe 4 of the comparative example will be described using FIG. 4C and FIG. 4D . FIG. 4C is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam of the probe 4 and the subject 8 having three regions with different reflectances in the shape of a strip as shown in the figure. Although the initial irradiation point of the electronic scanning of the probe 4 is located in each of the three regions with different reflectances, since the electronic scanning is performed during the movement of the probe 4, the final irradiation point of the electronic scanning enters the adjacent short bar area.

Figure 4D is a diagram showing the ultrasound image of the electronic scan in Figure 4C. At this time, the reflected wave image generator 16 sets the reflected wave from the subject 8 detected by one electronic scanning of the probe 4 as the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam at the same position (scanning line) in the X-axis direction, The signal strength of the reflected wave is calculated to obtain a shaded image and displayed on the display unit 17 as an ultrasonic image. Accordingly, shaded images of distributions of different reflectances of the subject 8 illustrated in FIG. 4C are displayed.

5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating display examples of ultrasonic images when the probe 4 of the comparative example is reciprocated.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the electronic scanning of the probe 4 when the shape of the subject 8 is set as the scanning area. As illustrated in FIG. 3B , since the electronic scanning is performed synchronously with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21 , the position in the X-axis direction is consistent with scanning operation 1 and scanning operation 2 (for example, Xn coordinates). However, the irradiated points b, c, d, e, f, and g are gradually displaced according to the scanning direction. Therefore, the irradiation points e, f, and g of the electronic scanning at the end of the scanning operation 1 irradiate the ultrasonic beam outside the subject.

Figure 5B is a diagram showing the ultrasound image of the electronic scan of Figure 5A. Since the reflected wave image generator 16 displays the reflected wave from the subject 8 detected by one electronic scan of the probe 4 as the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam at the same position (scanning line) in the X-axis direction, the The irradiation points e, f, and g are displayed as an ultrasonic image of the Xn coordinates of the subject 8 .

Since the signal intensity of the reflected wave of the subject 8 is different from that of the reflected wave outside the subject, the reflected wave images corresponding to the irradiation points e, f, and g are displayed as images of different shades, which are regarded as image information deviation. In addition, in FIG. 5B , for the sake of explanation, the reflected wave image of the subject 8 is set to white, and the reflected wave image outside the subject is set to black.

Hereinafter, an array type ultrasonic imaging device 1 according to an embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating irradiation points of ultrasonic beams of the probe 4 according to the embodiment. Irradiation points a, b, c, d, e, f, g are the irradiation points of the ultrasonic beams of the electronic scanning of the vibrators a, b, c, d, e, f, g of the probe 4 . In particular, the irradiation point a is the irradiation point corresponding to the origin of the scanning area, and is the irradiation point of the first ultrasonic beam of the electronic scanning synchronized with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21 during the scanning operation.

The electronic scanning of the probe 4 takes place during the continuous movement of the scanning action. The solid line rectangle in FIG. 6A indicates the position of the probe 4 when the ultrasonic beam is first irradiated, and the dotted line rectangle indicates the probe 4 position when the ultrasonic beam is irradiated last.

After the probe 4 irradiates the ultrasonic beam to the irradiation point a by the timing processing unit 13 (refer to FIG. 1 ), the probe 4 irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point g at the other end of the electronic scanning. Next, an ultrasonic beam is irradiated at an irradiation point b closer to the center than the irradiation point a. In this way, the probe 4 sequentially and alternately irradiates the ultrasonic beam from the irradiation point of the opposite end to the irradiation point of the central part to perform electronic scanning.

In other words, the probe 4 irradiates the ultrasonic beam so that the irradiation spot of the ultrasonic beam becomes a "く" shape or an inverted "く" shape according to the direction of the scanning operation.

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam in the scanning area of the scanning operation 1 and the scanning operation 2 of the probe 4 . Since the electronic scanning is performed synchronously with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21, the position in the X-axis direction of the irradiation point a of the probe 4 is consistent with the scanning action 1 and the scanning action 2, and the irradiation points b, c, d, e , f, and g are gradually shifted positions according to the scanning direction.

7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating display examples of ultrasonic images when the probe 4 of the comparative example is reciprocated.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the electronic scanning of the probe 4 when the shape of the subject 8 is set as the scanning area. As illustrated in FIG. 6B , since the electronic scanning is performed synchronously with the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21, the position of the irradiation point a of the probe 4 in the X-axis direction is consistent with the scanning action 1 and the scanning action 2, and the irradiation point b , c, d, e, f, g Depending on the scanning direction, the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam becomes an inverted く shape or a く shape. Thereby, the irradiation points c, d, and e of the electronic scanning at the end of the scanning operation 1 irradiate the ultrasonic beam outside the subject.

Figure 7B is a diagram showing the ultrasound image of the electronic scan of Figure 7A. Since the reflected wave image generator 16 displays the reflected wave from the subject 8 detected by one electronic scan of the probe 4 as the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam at the same position (scanning line) in the X-axis direction, the The irradiation points c, d, and e are displayed in black as the ultrasonic image of the Xn coordinates of the subject 8 . In addition, for the sake of explanation, the reflected wave image of the subject 8 is assumed to be white, and the reflected wave image outside the subject having different reflected wave signal intensities is assumed to be black.

In this way, in the final electronic scan of the forward shift process immediately before the shift process, the image near the end edge of the reverse shift process is displayed in white, and on the other hand, the image of the first electronic scan of the reverse shift process and The image near the end edge of the positive shift process is also displayed in white. As a result, the images in the vicinity of the end edges of the forward movement and the reverse movement are displayed with the same gray scale, that is, white. That is, according to the direction of the scanning operation described in FIG. 6A , the ultrasonic beam is irradiated in such a way that the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam becomes a “く” shape or an inverted “く” shape, thereby irradiating the ultrasonic beam near the end edge of the forward path and the return path of the scanning action. In the image, the same gray scale can be achieved, and the deviation of the generated image information can be suppressed, and an image close to the real image of the subject can be displayed. That is, it is possible to correct the display deviation of the ultrasonic reflected wave at the position where the forward path and the return path of the scanning operation are switched.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8 , the operation flow of the plane scanning of the array type ultrasonic imaging device 1 will be described. In step S81, the control device 10 obtains scanning conditions of the position of the origin (XY coordinates), width (length in the X-axis direction), and height (length in the Y-axis direction) of the scanning area.

In step S82, the scanner control part 11 of the control device 10 drives the 3-axis scanner 2 to move the probe 4 to the position of the origin of the scanning range.

In step S83, the control device 10 repeats the processing from step S83 to step S811 at the height (Y-axis direction) of the scanning area.

In step S84 , the scanner control unit 11 starts the scanning operation of the probe 4 in the X-axis direction of the scanning area by the X-axis scanner 21 .

In step S85, the control device 10 repeats the processing from step S86 to step S88 for the width of the scanning area (X-axis direction).

In step S86, the sending and receiving command section 12 of the control device 10 determines whether the encoder output of the X-axis scanner 21 notified from the scanner control section 11 is detected, and when the encoder output is detected (Yes of S86 )), carry out the processing of electronic scanning of the probe 4 in step S87 described later in detail. When the encoder output cannot be detected, the process of step S86 is repeated, waiting for the encoder output to be detected.

In step S89 , the scanner control unit 11 of the control device 10 uses the Y-axis scanner 22 of the 3-axis scanner 2 to move in the Y-axis direction by the scanning width of the electronic scanning to perform a shift operation.

In step S810, the scanner control unit 11 is set to reverse the moving direction (scanning direction) of the probe 4 in the scanning operation started in step S84. Through the above processing, the array ultrasonic imaging device 1 captures an ultrasonic image of a specific scanning area of the subject 8 .

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the details of the electronic scanning process of the probe 4 in step S87 of FIG. 8 . In FIG. 9 , the number of irradiation points of the probe 4 is set to n (odd number), the serial number of the irradiation point at one end of the electronic scanning is set to 1, and the numbering is performed in ascending order toward the other end.

In step S91, the sequential processing unit 13 (refer to FIG. 1 ) adds 1 to the variable i each time, and repeats steps S92 to S94 until the variable i changes from 1 to (n-1)/2.

In step S92, the timing processing unit 13 selects the vibrator group that irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point (i), and generates a vibrator action signal on the probe 4 through the vibrator action signal generation unit 14 (refer to FIG. 1 ), and at the irradiation point (i) Irradiate an ultrasonic beam.

In step S93, the timing processing unit 13 selects the vibrator group that irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point (n+1-i), and generates a vibrator action signal on the probe 4 through the vibrator action signal generation unit 14 (refer to FIG. 1 ). , irradiate the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point (n+1-i). By repeating steps S92 and S93, the timing processing unit 13 alternately and sequentially irradiates the ultrasonic beams from the irradiating points at the opposite ends to the irradiating points at the central portion.

In step S95, the timing processing unit 13 irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point ((n+1)/2). That is, the ultrasonic beam is irradiated at the irradiation point in the center of the electronic scan.

Through the above processing, at the position of the first irradiation point, the third irradiation point... from one end of the electronic scanning toward the center side, and the second irradiation point, the fourth irradiation point... from the opposite end toward the center side The positions of ... are irradiated with ultrasonic beams in the order of the positions of the first irradiation point, the second irradiation point, the third irradiation point, and the fourth irradiation point.

In addition, FIG. 9 has explained the case where the number of irradiation points of the probe 4 is an odd number. In the case of an even number, in step S91, while adding 1 to the variable i each time, repeat steps S92 to S94 until the variable i i is from 1 to n/2. And, what is necessary is just to delete the process of step S95.

Through the above processing, as shown in FIG. 6B, the irradiation point of the last ultrasonic beam in the electronic scanning in scanning action 1 is the dot row of irradiation point g, and the distance between the first ultrasonic beam in the electronic scanning in scanning action 2 The deviation of the irradiated point, that is, the dot row of the irradiated point a, is smaller than that shown in FIG. 3B.

Therefore, the control device 10 sets the reflected wave of electronic scanning as the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam at the same position (scanning line) in the X-axis direction, and can calculate the signal intensity of the reflected wave and display it as a shaded image. The deviation of the gradation image at the boundary between the display area of operation 1 and the display area of scanning operation 2 is reduced.

Also, since the probe 4 irradiates the ultrasonic beam alternately and sequentially from the irradiation point of the opposite end to the irradiation point of the central part to carry out electronic scanning, the positional deviation of the adjacent irradiation points of the electronic scanning can be reduced. Deterioration can suppress the conspicuousness of the deviation of the shaded image in the display area of scanning operation 1 and in the display area of scanning operation 2.

The array type ultrasonic imaging device 1 of the embodiment described above can suppress the image deviation of the reflected wave image generated during the forward movement and reverse movement of the probe 4 scanning, and can obtain high-speed and low-impact images. Ultrasonic image of image deviation of specimen 8.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications. The above-described embodiments are described in detail for the sake of easy understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to those that must include all the components described.

1: Array Ultrasonic Imaging Device 2: 3-axis scanner 3: Sensor 4: Probe (ultrasonic array probe) 8: Subject 10: Control device 11: Scanner control unit 12: Send and receive command department 13: Timing processing department 14: Vibrator action signal generation part 15: Reflected wave signal processing unit 16:Reflected wave image generation unit 17: Display part 21: X-axis scanner 22: Y-axis scanner 23: Z-axis scanner 24: Retainer 42: Neck 91: Sink 92: Taiwan a~g: vibrator/irradiation point S81~S89,S810,S811: steps S91~S95: steps X: direction Xn: coordinates Y: Direction Z: Direction

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an array type ultrasonic imaging device of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation content of planar scanning of a probe in the array type ultrasonic imaging device. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating irradiation points of ultrasonic beams of a probe of a comparative example. 3B is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam in the planar scanning of the probe of the comparative example. FIG. 4A is a graph showing an example of temporal changes in signal strength in reflected waves. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating the conversion of the signal intensity of the reflected wave into gray scales of 0-255. FIG. 4C is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam and the subject 8 having three strip-shaped regions with different reflectances. Figure 4D is a diagram showing the ultrasound image of the electronic scan in Figure 4C. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the electronic scanning when the shape of the subject is set as the scanning area by the probe 4 in the comparative example. Figure 5B is a diagram showing the ultrasound image of the electronic scan of Figure 5A. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating irradiation points of ultrasonic beams of the probe 4 according to the embodiment. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam in the planar scanning of the probe. Fig. 7A is a diagram showing the position of the irradiation point of the electronic scanning when the external shape of the subject is set as the scanning area according to the embodiment. Figure 7B is a diagram showing the ultrasound image of the electronic scan of Figure 7A. Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the plane scanning of the array type ultrasonic imaging device. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing details of the electronic scanning process.

a,g: irradiation point

Xn: coordinates

Claims (9)

An array type ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that it performs electronic scanning in which an object is irradiated with ultrasonic beams in a specific scanning order while reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of vibrators, And the displacement action of moving the ultrasonic array probe parallel to the arrangement direction of the above-mentioned vibrators, so that a plurality of the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probes arranged in a straight line can perform plane scanning, and scan the surface or layered edge of the object The interface irradiates the ultrasonic beam to display the signal strength of the ultrasonic reflected wave from the subject; and The ultrasonic beam is irradiated at the irradiation point at one end of the electronic scanning, and then the ultrasonic beam is irradiated at the irradiation point at the opposite end, which becomes the scanning sequence of alternating and sequential irradiation of the ultrasonic beam from each end to the central part. , select the plurality of vibrators to irradiate the ultrasonic beam to perform electronic scanning. The array type ultrasonic imaging device of claim 1, which includes: A vibrator action signal generating unit, which controls the sending and receiving of ultrasonic waves of the vibrator group of the ultrasonic array probe at each irradiation position of the ultrasonic beam; a timing processing unit, which selects the above-mentioned vibrator group corresponding to the scanning order of the above-mentioned electronic scanning; a transmitting and receiving command unit, which instructs the vibrator action signal generating unit to generate a vibrator action signal via the timing processing unit, and starts the electronic scanning of the ultrasonic array probe; and The control unit controls the sending and receiving instruction unit synchronously with the scanning operation of the ultrasonic array probe. The array type ultrasonic imaging device of claim 2, wherein The timing processing unit selects the vibrator group so that the irradiation spot of the ultrasonic beam becomes a “く” shape or an inverted “く” shape toward the traveling direction of the movement of the ultrasonic array probe. The array type ultrasonic imaging device of claim 2, wherein The above control department In the coordinate system in which the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe scans the above-mentioned object in a plane, the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the vibrators of the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe is set as the X-axis direction, and the arrangement direction of the above-mentioned vibrators is When the Y-axis direction is set and the initial irradiation point of the ultrasonic beam for plane scanning is set as the coordinate origin, Make the X-coordinate position of the start position of the electronic scanning immediately before the above-mentioned shifting action equal to the X-coordinate position of the starting position of the electronic scanning immediately after the above-mentioned shifting action. The array type ultrasonic imaging device of claim 1, wherein Receive the ultrasonic reflected wave from the subject at each irradiation position of the ultrasonic beam and calculate the signal intensity of the reflected wave, and display the above-mentioned signal at a specific position in the display area divided into rectangles corresponding to the above-mentioned plane scan The intensity corresponds to the density of the image. The array type ultrasonic imaging device of claim 1, which includes: The reflected wave signal processing unit calculates the signal strength of the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam received by the vibrator. The array type ultrasonic imaging device of claim 6, which includes: The reflected wave image generation unit calculates the reflected wave signal from the reflected wave from the subject detected by one electronic scanning of the ultrasonic array probe as the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam at the same position in the X-axis direction Intensity, to find the shaded image; and A display unit that displays the shaded image obtained by the reflected wave image generation unit as a shaded image of reflected waves of the ultrasonic beam after planar scanning of the subject. A control method of an array ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that it irradiates the ultrasonic beams of the ultrasonic array probes with a plurality of vibrators in a straight line to the subject in order for electronic scanning, and displays images from the subject above. A control method of an array type ultrasonic imaging device for the signal strength of ultrasonic reflected waves of a specimen, and the control method includes: In the first step, one side irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point at one end of the electronic scanning, and then irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point at the opposite end, so that ultrasonic waves are irradiated alternately and sequentially from each end to the central part. The scanning order of the light beam is to select the above-mentioned plural vibrators, and irradiate the above-mentioned object with the ultrasonic beam according to the specific scanning order, on the one hand in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the vibrators of the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe, in a specific Continuously move the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe at a high speed; a shifting step, performing a shifting operation of moving the ultrasonic array probe in parallel with the arrangement direction of the vibrator within the scanning width of the electronic scanning; and In the second step, one side irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point at one end of the electronic scanning, and then irradiates the ultrasonic beam at the irradiation point at the opposite end, so that the ultrasonic waves are irradiated alternately and sequentially from each end to the central part. Select the plurality of vibrators in the scanning order of the beam, and irradiate the subject with an ultrasonic beam in a specific scanning order, while continuously moving the ultrasonic array probe at a specific speed in the opposite direction to the first step above; and By repeating the above-mentioned first step, the above-mentioned shifting step, and the above-mentioned second step, the entire surface of the subject is electronically scanned. The method for controlling an arrayed ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 8, which includes the following steps: Detect whether there is an encoder output for X-axis scanning that enables the above-mentioned ultrasonic array probe to perform a scanning action; and When the encoder output is detected, the ultrasonic beam is irradiated at the first irradiation point at one end of the electronic scan.

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