Ultrasonic diagnostic device and ultrasonic image generation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016206289-A1
Application number	US-201615013571-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 2, 2016
Priority date	Aug 27, 2013
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnostic device includes: a probe including a plurality of elements that are arranged; a transmission unit that transmits an ultrasonic beam by performing transmission focusing in a first direction from the plurality of elements of the probe; a reception unit that generates element data by processing reception signals output from the plurality of elements of the probe that has received an ultrasonic echo generated by the ultrasonic beam transmitted from the transmission unit; an element data processing unit that generates reflection component removal data by removing a reflection component generated from the first direction from the element data; an image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image by performing reception focusing for the element data; and a control unit that controls the image generation unit to generate an image signal along a second direction different from the first direction by performing reception focusing in the second direction for the reflection component removal data generated by the element data processing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An ultrasonic diagnostic device, comprising:
a probe including a plurality of elements that are arranged; a transmission unit that transmits an ultrasonic beam by performing transmission focusing in a first direction from the plurality of elements of the probe; a reception unit that generates element data by processing reception signals output from the plurality of elements of the probe that has received an ultrasonic echo generated by the ultrasonic beam transmitted from the transmission unit; an element data processing unit that generates reflection component removal data by removing a reflection component generated from the first direction from the element data; an image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image by performing reception focusing for the element data; and a control unit that controls the image generation unit to generate an image signal along a second direction different from the first direction by performing reception focusing in the second direction for the reflection component removal data generated by the element data processing unit.

2 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transmission unit forms at least two focuses at different positions in the first direction to sequentially transmit a plurality of ultrasonic beams, and the element data processing unit generates the reflection component removal data from a plurality of pieces of element data generated by the reception unit corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic beams.

3 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the element data processing unit generates the reflection component removal data by taking a difference between the plurality of pieces of element data.

4 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 3 ,
wherein, when taking a difference between the plurality of pieces of element data, the element data processing unit takes a difference after giving weighting to any one of the plurality of pieces of element data or to the plurality of pieces of element data.

5 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the element data processing unit generates overlapping-processed data in which a reflection component generated from the first direction is emphasized by overlapping a predetermined number of pieces of element data generated by the reception unit with each other by phase matching corresponding to the predetermined number of consecutive scanning lines, and generates the reflection component removal data using the overlapping-processed data.

6 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the element data processing unit generates the reflection component removal data by taking a difference between the element data by the plurality of elements generated by the reception unit and the overlapping-processed data.

7 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 6 ,
wherein, when taking a difference between the element data by the plurality of elements generated by the reception unit and the overlapping-processed data, the element data processing unit takes a difference after giving weighting to either the element data by the plurality of elements generated by the reception unit or the overlapping-processed data or to both the element data by the plurality of elements generated by the reception unit and the overlapping-processed data.

8 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the element data processing unit generates simulation data indicating a reflected wave generated from the first direction by simulation, and generates the reflection component removal data using the simulation data.

9 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the element data processing unit generates the reflection component removal data by taking a difference between the element data by the plurality of elements generated by the reception unit and the simulation data.

10 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 9 ,
wherein, when taking a difference between the element data by the plurality of elements generated by the reception unit and the simulation data, the element data processing unit takes a difference after giving a weighting to either the element data by the plurality of elements generated by the reception unit or the simulation data or to both the element data by the plurality elements generated by the reception unit and the simulation data.

11 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image generation unit includes: a tissue image generation section that generates an image signal for tissue imaging along the first direction by performing reception focusing in the first direction for the element data; and a needle image generation section that generates an image signal for needle imaging along the second direction by performing reception focusing in the second direction for the reflection component removal data.

12 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 11 , further comprising:
an image combination unit that combines the image signal for tissue imaging generated by the tissue image generation section and the image signal for needle imaging obtained by the needle image generation section.

13 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a display unit that displays an image signal obtained by a combination of the image combination unit.

14 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display unit that displays an ultrasonic image generated by the image generation unit.

15 . An ultrasonic image generation method, comprising:
transmitting an ultrasonic beam by performing transmission focusing in a first direction from a plurality of elements of a probe; generating element data by processing reception signals output from the plurality of elements of the probe that has received an ultrasonic echo generated by the ultrasonic beam; generating reflection component removal data by removing a reflection component generated from the first direction from the element data; and generating an ultrasonic image along a second direction different from the first direction by performing reception focusing in the second direction for the reflection component removal data.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Yamamoto Hiroaki
• Hara Shoji

Classifications

• G01S7/52074

  Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information · CPC title

• A61B2017/3413

  guided by ultrasound · CPC title

• G01S7/5209

  using multibeam transmission · CPC title

• G01S15/8915

  using a transducer array · CPC title

• G01S7/52046

  Techniques for image enhancement involving transmitter or receiver (image enhancement by image data processing G06T5/00) · CPC title