Patent
Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and method for acquiring ultrasound data
| العنوان: | Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and method for acquiring ultrasound data |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 9,354,313 |
| تاريخ النشر: | May 31, 2016 |
| Appl. No: | 12/054184 |
| Application Filed: | March 24, 2008 |
| مستخلص: | An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including oscillation elements configured to transmit toward and receive from a region of a subject, a receiving delay setting unit configured to divide the oscillation elements into oscillation element groups and set a common delay to oscillation elements included in each of the oscillation element groups in accordance with an imaging condition, an adding unit configured to add received signals transmitted from the oscillation elements in accordance with the delay set by the received delay setting unit, and an image generating unit configured to generate image data in accordance with received signal added by adding unit. |
| Inventors: | Iwama, Nobuyuki (Tochigi-ken, JP) |
| Assignees: | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Tokyo, JP), Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Otawara-shi, JP) |
| Claim: | 1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, comprising: an ultrasound probe including oscillation elements configured to transmit toward and receive from a region of a subject; a receiving delay setting unit configured to divide the oscillation elements into first oscillation element groups, to determine a number of oscillation elements belonging to each of second oscillation element groups in accordance with an imaging condition, to divide each of the first oscillation element groups into the second oscillation element groups in accordance with the determined number of the oscillation elements, and to set a common delay to the oscillation elements included in each of the second oscillation element groups; an adding unit including a first adding unit and a second adding unit, wherein the first adding unit is configured to add received signals of plural channels transmitted from the oscillation elements belonging to each of the first oscillation element groups, wherein the second adding unit is configured to further add received signals of the plural channels added by the first adding unit; and an image generating unit configured to generate image data in accordance with the received signals added by the adding unit. |
| Claim: | 2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first adding unit is provided in the ultrasound probe; and the second adding unit is provided in an apparatus body external to said ultrasound probe. |
| Claim: | 3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the imaging condition is one of an imaging mode, a frequency of transmitting an ultrasound wave, a scan line density, and a scan region. |
| Claim: | 4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first adding unit sets a common phase delay or a time delay to oscillation elements included in each of the first oscillation element groups. |
| Claim: | 5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising: a delay data generating unit configured to generate delay data corresponding to the phase delay or the time delay, wherein the receiving delay setting unit commonly sets the delay data for each of the first oscillation element groups corresponding to oscillation elements belonging to each of the second oscillation element groups. |
| Claim: | 6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising: a scan control unit configured to control a direction of ultrasound transmitting and receiving, wherein the delay data generation unit generates delay data in accordance with information of the direction of ultrasound transmitting and receiving and a division of the second oscillation element groups. |
| Claim: | 7. The ultrasound diagnostic according to claim 5 , wherein the delay data generating unit is configured to sequentially supply the delay data to the receiving delay setting unit. |
| Claim: | 8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the delay data generating unit is provided in the apparatus body and the receiving delay setting unit is provided in the ultrasound probe. |
| Claim: | 9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a driving unit configured to supply driving signals to the oscillation elements; and a transmitting delay setting unit configured to divide the oscillation elements into third oscillation element groups and to set a common delay to oscillation elements included in each of the third oscillation element groups in accordance with an imaging condition for the driving signals. |
| Claim: | 10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the oscillation elements are arrayed 2-dimensionally. |
| Claim: | 11. A method of acquiring ultrasound data, comprising: transmitting toward and receiving ultrasound signals from a region of a subject using oscillation elements provided in an ultrasound probe; dividing the oscillation elements into first oscillation element groups; determining a number of oscillation elements belonging to each of second oscillation element groups in accordance with an imaging condition; dividing each of the first oscillation element groups into the second oscillation element groups in accordance with the determined number of the oscillation elements; setting a common delay to oscillation elements included in each of the second oscillation element groups; first adding received signals of a plurality of channels transmitted from the oscillation elements belonging to each of the first oscillation element groups in accordance with the common delay; second adding received signals of the plurality of channels added in the first adding step; and generating image data in accordance with the received signal added by the adding unit. |
| Claim: | 12. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 11 , wherein the first adding step is performed in the ultrasound probe, and the second adding step is performed in an apparatus body provided external to the ultrasound probe. |
| Claim: | 13. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 11 , wherein the imaging condition is one of an imaging mode, a frequency of transmitting an ultrasound wave, a scan line density, and a scan region. |
| Claim: | 14. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 11 , wherein the setting step comprises setting a common phase delay or a time delay to oscillation elements included in each of the first oscillation element groups. |
| Claim: | 15. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 14 , further comprising: generating delay data corresponding to the phase delay or the time delay; and the setting step includes commonly setting the delay data for the first adding step corresponding to oscillation elements belonging to each of the second oscillation element groups. |
| Claim: | 16. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 15 , further comprising: controlling a direction of ultrasound transmitting and receiving, wherein the generating step comprises generating the delay data in accordance with the direction of ultrasound transmitting and receiving and the division of the second oscillation element groups. |
| Claim: | 17. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 15 , wherein the generating step comprises supplying the delay data sequentially. |
| Claim: | 18. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 17 , wherein the generating step is executed in the apparatus body and the setting step is executed in the ultrasound probe. |
| Claim: | 19. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 11 , further comprising: supplying driving signals to the oscillation elements; dividing the oscillation elements into transmitting oscillation element groups; and setting a common delay to oscillation elements included in each of the transmitting oscillation element groups in accordance with an imaging condition for the driving signals. |
| Claim: | 20. The method of acquiring ultrasound data according to claim 11 , wherein the oscillation elements are arrayed 2-dimensionally. |
| Patent References Cited: | 2005/0277853 December 2005 Mast et al. 2006/0058661 March 2006 Hirama 2008/0009741 January 2008 Hyuga 2008/0154133 June 2008 Shiki 2008/0242988 October 2008 Yoshida et al. 2009/0018441 January 2009 Willsie et al. 2009/0140810 June 2009 Kim et al. 2009/0171214 July 2009 Kim et al. 2009/0198134 August 2009 Hashimoto et al. 2009/0230823 September 2009 Kushculey et al. 2009/0251461 October 2009 Sasaki et al. 2010/0076352 March 2010 Kim et al. 2010/0312150 December 2010 Mast et al. 2005-34634 February 2005 2005-342194 December 2005 |
| Assistant Examiner: | Akar, Serkan |
| Primary Examiner: | Moher, Amanda Lauritzen |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P. |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.09354313 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |