Ultrasonic image construction method, ultrasonic image construction apparatus, ultrasonic image construction program, and skin evaluation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020375573-A1
Application number	US-201716611498-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Dec 3, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ultrasonic-image-construction apparatus can construct an ultrasonic-tomographic image of a thin, layer-structured target object to be measured relatively easily and highly accurately in a manner in which such layered structure is easily understood. An ultrasonic transducer of an ultrasonic-image-constructing apparatus transmits ultrasonic waves to the target object. A reference substance makes contact with a base substrate, with such ultrasonic waves being incident on the target object via the base substrate, then receives an impulse response of an ultrasonic waveform. A computing means performs calculation to estimate acoustic-physical-property distribution in consideration of the multiple-reflections influence based on normalized-impulse information obtained from impulse-response information of such ultrasonic waveform incident on the reference substance and from impulse-response information of such ultrasonic waveform incident on the target object. The image-construction means constructs acoustic-physical-property-image data based on acoustic-physical-property distribution in the depth direction obtained by computing means.

First claim

1 . An ultrasonic-image-construction method, characterized in comprising a transmitting-and-receiving step for transmitting ultrasonic waves in a state thereof that a target object to be measured and a reference substance of known acoustic properties are in contact with a base substrate of known acoustic properties, and then such step for receiving the impulse responses of such ultrasonic waveform from the target object to be measured and from the reference substance, with such ultrasonic waves being incident on the target object to be measured and on the reference substance through the base substrate;
and in comprising a computing step for performing a calculation to estimate the acoustic impedance distribution in the depth direction in consideration of the effect of multiple reflections based on the normalized impulse-response information having been obtained from the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform incident on the reference substance and of the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform incident on the target object to be measured; in doing so, the acoustic impedance of the micro-transmission path adjacent to the back side based on the estimated result of the acoustic impedance of the micro-transmission path on the front side is estimated, in assuming that in the calculation step the lossless micro- transmission paths of different acoustic impedances are connected in the depth direction to form an assembly of transmission paths; and in comprising an image-construction step for constructing the acoustic-property image data having been obtained based on the acoustic impedance distribution in the depth direction obtained by the computing means.

2 . An ultrasonic image-construction method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the target object to be measured is biological tissue.

3 . An ultrasonic image-construction method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the target object to be measured is skin.

4 . An ultrasonic-image-construction method according claim 1 , characterized in that the base substrate is at least partially flat and is made of a material harder than the target object to be measured.

5 . An ultrasonic-image-construction method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the reference substance of known acoustic properties that is different from the base substrate is already provided on the surface of the base substrate on which the target object to be measured is arranged.

6 . An ultrasonic-image-construction method according to claim 1 , characterized in that in the transmitting-receiving step an ultrasonic wave is incident on the target object to be measured while such ultrasonic wave is relatively scanning in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional direction.

7 . (canceled)

8 . An ultrasonic-image-construction apparatus, characterized in comprising an ultrasonic transducer that transmits ultrasonic waves in a state thereof that a target object to be measured and a reference substance of known acoustic properties are in contact with a base substrate of known acoustic properties, and of which such ultrasonic transducer receives the impulse responses of ultrasonic waveforms from the target object to be measured and from the reference substance, with such ultrasonic waves being incident on the target object to be measured and on the reference substance through the base substrate,
and in comprising a computing means for estimating the acoustic impedance distribution in the depth direction in consideration of the effect of multiple reflections based on the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform having been incident on the reference substance and based on the normalized impulse-response information having been obtained from the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform having been incident on the target object to be measured in doing so, the acoustic impedance of the micro-transmission path adjacent to the back side based on the estimated result of the acoustic impedance of the micro-transmission path on the front side is estimated, in assuming that in the calculation step the lossless micro- transmission paths of different acoustic impedances are connected in the depth direction to form an assembly of transmission paths; and in comprising an image-construction means for constructing the acoustic-property image data having been obtained based on the acoustic-impedance distribution in the depth direction obtained by the computing means.

9 . An ultrasonic-image-construction apparatus according to claim 8 , characterized in further comprising a scanning means for relatively scanning the ultrasonic transducer to the target object to be measured in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional direction.

10 . An ultrasonic-image-construction program to run a processor; to execute a transmitting-and-receiving step for transmitting ultrasonic waves in a state thereof that a target object to be measured and a reference substance of known acoustic properties are in contact with a base substrate of known acoustic properties, and then such step for receiving the impulse responses of such ultrasonic waveform from the target object to be measured and from the reference substance, with such ultrasonic waves being incident on the target object to be measured and on the reference substance through the base substrate;
to execute a calculating step for performing a calculation to estimate the acoustic impedance distribution in the depth direction in consideration of the effect of multiple reflections based on the normalized impulse-response information having been obtained from the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform incident on the reference substance and of the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform incident on the target object to be measured, in doing so, the acoustic impedance of the micro-transmission path adjacent to the back side based on the estimated result of the acoustic impedance of the micro-transmission path on the front side is estimated, in assuming that in the calculation step the lossless micro- transmission paths of different acoustic impedances are connected in the depth direction to form an assembly of transmission paths; and to execute an image construction step for constructing the acoustic-property image data having been obtained based on the acoustic impedance distribution in the depth direction obtained by the computing means.

11 . A cosmetic skin-evaluation method, characterized in comprising a transmitting-and receiving step for transmitting ultrasonic waves to the ultrasonic transducer in a state thereof the target object to be measured and the reference substance of known acoustic properties are placed in contact with the base substrate of known acoustic properties, and then such step for receiving the impulse responses of the ultrasonic waveform from the target object to be measured and from the reference substance, with such ultrasonic waves having been incident on the target object to be measured and on the reference substance through the base substrate;
and in comprising a computing step for estimating the acoustic property distribution in the depth direction in consideration of the effect of the multiple reflections based on the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform having been incident on the reference substance and based on the normalized impulse-response information having been obtained from the impulse-response information of the ultrasonic waveform having been incident on the target object to be measured, in doing so, the acoustic impedance of the micro-transmission path adjacent to the back side based on the estimated result of the acoustic impedanc

Assignees

• Honda Electronic
• National Univ Corporation Toyohashi Univ Of Technology
• Shiseido Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ogura Yuki
• Hozumi Naohiro
• Yoshida Sachiko
• Kobayashi Kazuto

Classifications

• G01S15/8977

  using special techniques for image reconstruction, e.g. FFT, geometrical transformations, spatial deconvolution, time deconvolution · CPC title

• A61B8/0858

  involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces · CPC title

• A61B8/5207 Primary

  involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image · CPC title

• G01S7/52036

  using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation · CPC title

• G01B17/02 Primary

  for measuring thickness · CPC title