JP2010051691A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus working to display a 3D image, wherein a displayed 3D image is rotated in as simple a manner as possible. <P>SOLUTION: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a 3D image reconstruction part 17 to rotate the 3D image displayed on a monitor 19 around at least the two of the three coordinate axes of the 3D image as the central axes for its rotation, a coordinate axis setting button 22 to set up the coordinate axes as these central axes, and an angle rotation setting means for setting up the angle of rotation of the 3D image to be attained by the 3D image reconstruction part 17. The angle rotation setting means has a rotary encoder 40 and a rotary knob 23 connected with the input axis of the rotary encoder, and sets up the angle of rotation of the 3D image by rotating the rotary knob 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly, to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that can compose and display a three-dimensional image and can reconstruct and display the displayed three-dimensional image by rotating it according to a user's designation.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a function of displaying information inside a subject as a three-dimensional image is known and widely used for fetal growth diagnosis and the like. In such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a probe (or a piezoelectric element built in the probe) that is in contact with the body surface of the subject is moved in the slice direction (direction orthogonal to the ultrasonic scanning plane) while moving the probe. By performing acoustic scanning, a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound image data having different cross-sectional positions are continuously collected, and three-dimensional data in the subject is constructed from the set of the two-dimensional image data (for example, Patent Documents) 1). The three-dimensional data acquired as described above is imaged by a technique such as volume rendering or surface rendering and displayed on the monitor. Volume rendering is a three-dimensional display of the surface information and internal information of the imaging object with a cube (voxel) having transparency corresponding to the intensity of the echo signal. Surface rendering is only the surface information of the imaging object. Are displayed three-dimensionally.

  In recent years, there has also been proposed an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can display a three-dimensional image configured as described above by rotating about three coordinate axes. With such an apparatus, it becomes possible to observe a three-dimensional image from various angles.

JP-A-5-228145

  In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can arbitrarily rotate a three-dimensional image as described above, rotation angle setting means around the coordinate axes is usually provided for each of the three coordinate axes. Specifically, each of the three coordinate axes is provided with a rotary encoder and a rotary knob connected to the input shaft of the rotary encoder, and the user rotates the rotary knob corresponding to each predetermined coordinate axis to rotate around the coordinate axis. Specify the rotation angle and perform the rotation operation. In such an apparatus, it is necessary to move the operating hand to the corresponding input means each time the user selects a different coordinate axis. In view of the fact that ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses are frequently used in medical clinical sites where quickness is required, such operational complexity is not desirable.

  In addition, since many parameters need to be set for use conditions in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, many setting / input means already exist on the console. Therefore, if a parameter setting / input unit necessary for rotating the three-dimensional image is required for each rotation axis, the operation table becomes more complicated. Furthermore, if a plurality of parts, particularly a plurality of rotary encoders are required for inputting rotation parameters such as a rotation axis and a rotation angle, the manufacturing cost of the apparatus increases.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to rotate a displayed three-dimensional image as easily as possible in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a function of displaying a three-dimensional image. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can be used.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, performs a three-dimensional ultrasonic scan on an arbitrary region in a subject, and the inside of the subject from an acquired echo signal. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a function of configuring a three-dimensional image and displaying it on a display screen,
a) image rotation processing means for rotating the three-dimensional image displayed on the display screen around each of at least two coordinate axes among the three coordinate axes of the three-dimensional image;
b) coordinate axis setting means for setting a coordinate axis to be the central axis;
c) rotation angle setting means for setting a rotation angle of the three-dimensional image by the image rotation processing means;
The rotation angle setting means includes one rotary encoder and one rotary knob connected to the input shaft of the rotary encoder, and sets the rotation angle of the three-dimensional image by rotating the rotary knob. It is characterized by that.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the rotary knob may be configured to be pressed, and the coordinate axis setting unit may set a coordinate axis serving as a rotation center axis in accordance with the pressing operation of the rotary knob.

further,
d) coordinate axis storage means for storing the coordinate axes set by the coordinate axis setting means;
e) coordinate axis reading means for calling the coordinate axis information stored in the storage means,
The image rotation processing means may be configured to rotate the three-dimensional image with the coordinate axis read by the coordinate axis reading means as the central axis.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, when rotating a three-dimensional image, it is possible to set image rotation angles around a plurality of rotation axes with a common rotation angle setting unit. That is, the rotation angle around any rotation axis can be set by one rotary knob and one rotary encoder connected thereto. This eliminates the need to move the operating hand to the corresponding input means each time the user selects a different rotation axis, improving operability. In addition, since the number of components for inputting rotation information such as the rotation axis and rotation angle, particularly the number of rotary encoders, can be reduced, the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced. In addition, the console surface can be simplified, and the internal size of the console can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to examples.

  The configuration of the main part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. In this embodiment, the image rotation processing means corresponds to the three-dimensional image reconstruction unit 17, the display screen corresponds to the display monitor 19, and the coordinate axis setting means corresponds to the coordinate axis setting button 22.

  The ultrasonic probe 11 is connected to the transmission / reception unit 12 of the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, generates an ultrasonic beam based on a predetermined drive pulse from the transmission / reception unit 12 and transmits the ultrasonic beam into the subject. Receives ultrasonic waves reflected in the body and converts them into electrical signals. The transmission / reception unit 12 generates beam data corresponding to one scanning line by amplifying the electric signal output from the probe and performing phasing addition.

  The two-dimensional image construction unit 13 constructs a two-dimensional image by performing predetermined processing such as detection processing, logarithmic compression processing, and digital scan conversion processing on the beam data output from the transmission / reception unit 12. The two-dimensional image constructed in this way is stored in the two-dimensional image memory 14.

  The three-dimensional image construction unit 15 is configured in the two-dimensional image construction unit 13 and arranges a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images stored in the two-dimensional image memory 14 at predetermined position intervals, and interpolates gaps between the images. A three-dimensional image data set is constructed and stored in the three-dimensional image memory 16. Further, the three-dimensional image construction unit 15 performs volume rendering processing and surface rendering processing on the three-dimensional image data set to construct a three-dimensional image of the target part. The constructed three-dimensional image is displayed on the image display monitor 19 via the image display control means 18. The operation of each part is controlled by the central control unit 20. A user's instruction is input to the central control unit 20 from the console 21.

  FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the console 21 in this embodiment. On the console 21, a coordinate axis setting button 22, a rotary knob 23, a keyboard 24, a slide switch 25, various dedicated operation keys 26, a trackball 27, a trackball related button 28, etc. are provided for inputting various data and command signals. is there. The rotary knob 23 is connected to the input shaft of the rotary encoder 40 inside the console.

  Hereinafter, an imaging procedure using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  First, the user selects a coordinate axis that is the central axis of image rotation among the three coordinate axes on the three-dimensional image by using one coordinate axis setting button 22 on the console 21. The coordinate axis setting button 22 selects a coordinate axis according to the number of times the button is pressed. The coordinate axis information set in this way is transmitted to the central control unit 20.

  A rotary knob 23 is provided in the vicinity of the coordinate axis setting button 22 on the console 21. For each coordinate axis selected by the coordinate axis setting button 22, the user sets an image rotation angle around the coordinate axis with the rotary knob 23. The rotary knob 23 is connected to the input shaft of the rotary encoder 40 inside the console. When the user rotates the rotary knob 23, the rotary encoder 40 connected thereto detects the amount of rotation of the rotary knob and transmits it to the central control unit 20 as a rotation angle signal. The central control unit 20 transmits the rotation angle signal and the coordinate axis information described above to the three-dimensional image reconstruction unit 17 together. When rotating a three-dimensional image around a plurality of coordinate axes, the above procedure, that is, the setting of the coordinate axis serving as the rotation center and the input of the rotation angle are repeated for each coordinate axis serving as the rotation center.

  The 3D image reconstruction unit 15 is based on the rotation information (rotation center axis information and rotation angle information) input from the central control unit 20 with respect to the 3D image data set stored in the 3D image memory 16. The rotation conversion process is performed to reconstruct the rotated three-dimensional image. The reconstructed three-dimensional image is displayed on the image display monitor 19 via the image display control means 18.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment, the common coordinate axis setting button 22 and the rotary knob can be used when rotating the three-dimensional image displayed on the image display monitor 19 around any coordinate axis. 23, the rotation axis and angle can be set. Further, since the coordinate axis setting button 22 and the rotary knob 23 are arranged side by side, it is not necessary to move the hand greatly when setting the rotation axis and the rotation angle, and the operability can be improved. Furthermore, since the rotation parameters of the three-dimensional image can be set and input with fewer members than in the past, it is possible to simplify the console surface and thus downsize the console. Since the number of parts to be mounted can be reduced, production costs can be reduced.

  The configuration of the main part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. Constituent elements that are the same as or correspond to those in FIG.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to this embodiment, the user sets the coordinate axis to be rotated in advance by the coordinate axis setting button 22 and stores the rotation coordinate axis in the coordinate axis storage unit 29. Specifically, for example, when the X axis is stored, the X axis is always set when the button is pressed. When the X axis and the Y axis are stored, the X axis and the Y axis are alternately set every time the button is pressed. According to such a configuration, the number of button presses can be reduced.

  The image rotation angle around the coordinate axis set in this way is set by the rotary knob 23. The set rotation angle information is output to the central control unit 20 via a rotary encoder (not shown). The central control unit 20 instructs the coordinate axis reading unit 30 to read the coordinate axis information stored in the coordinate axis storage unit 29. The coordinate axis information read by the coordinate axis reading means 30 is output to the central control unit 20. The coordinate axes and rotation angle information obtained in this way are transmitted from the central control unit 20 to the three-dimensional image reconstruction unit 17, where a three-dimensional image rotation process is performed. The reconstructed three-dimensional image is displayed on the image display monitor 19 via the image display control means 18.

As an embodiment of the present invention, there are the following embodiments in addition to the above-mentioned examples.
Three coordinate axis setting buttons corresponding to the three coordinate axes may be provided.
Instead of the coordinate axis setting button 22, a paddle switch or a touch panel may be used. In the case of a paddle switch, the coordinate axis is selected according to the number of times of switching. When the touch panel is installed not on the console 21 but on the image display monitor 19, it is not necessary to provide coordinate axis setting means on the console, and the console surface can be further simplified.
Moreover, you may comprise the rotation knob 23 as what can be pressed. According to such a configuration, it is possible to select a plurality of rotation axes with only one rotation knob and to set an image rotation angle around the selected axis. Therefore, since it is not necessary to move the hand at all in the setting operation of the rotation axis and the rotation angle, the operability is greatly improved. Further, since the coordinate axis setting button 22 can be omitted, it is possible to reduce the input means on the operation panel.

The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. The top view of the console of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on the 1st and 2nd Example of this invention The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Probe 12 ... Transmission / reception part 13 ... Two-dimensional image structure part 14 ... Two-dimensional image memory 15 ... Three-dimensional image structure part 16 ... Three-dimensional image memory 17 ... Three-dimensional image reconstruction part 18 ... Image display control means 19 ... Display Monitor 20 ... Central control unit 21 ... Console 22 ... Coordinate axis setting button 23 ... Rotation knob 24 ... Keyboard 25 ... Slide switch 26 ... Various dedicated operation keys 27 ... Track ball 28 ... Track ball related button 29 ... Coordinate axis storage means 30 ... Coordinate axis Reading means 40 ... rotary encoder

Claims (3)

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a function of performing three-dimensional ultrasonic scanning on an arbitrary region in a subject, constructing a three-dimensional image inside the subject from acquired echo signals, and displaying the same on a display screen In
a) image rotation processing means for rotating the three-dimensional image displayed on the display screen around at least two coordinate axes among the three coordinate axes of the three-dimensional image;
b) coordinate axis setting means for setting a coordinate axis to be the central axis;
c) rotation angle setting means for setting a rotation angle of the three-dimensional image by the image rotation processing means;
The rotation angle setting means includes one rotary encoder and one rotary knob connected to the input shaft of the rotary encoder, and sets the rotation angle of the three-dimensional image by rotating the rotary knob. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The rotary knob is configured to be capable of pressing operation,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate axis setting unit sets a coordinate axis serving as a rotation center axis in accordance with a pressing operation of the rotary knob. d) coordinate axis storage means for storing the coordinate axes set by the coordinate axis setting means;
e) coordinate axis reading means for calling the coordinate axis information stored in the storage means,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image rotation processing unit rotates a three-dimensional image with the coordinate axis read by the coordinate axis reading unit as a central axis.

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